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Shed209

macrumors member
Original poster
Jul 11, 2014
73
1
I recently bought a 2015 Macbook Pro 13 Retina second hand, which turned up showing a cycle count of 0. The seller claims that the battery has not been changed, so I'm wondering if there's any other way for this to happen?
 

JPack

macrumors G5
Mar 27, 2017
13,562
26,223
The data memory on the OEM battery is sealed with a key (password). Most users can't simply run in and reset the logs.

In all likelihood, the battery is not original.
 

Randall2018

Suspended
Jul 14, 2018
75
56
Sounds like a glitch in the battery making it not report the count to me. How’s the battery life on it? You might want to consider replacing the battery since it’s already three years old and it seems to be at least having his issue.
 

lambertjohn

macrumors 68000
Jun 17, 2012
1,655
1,720
I recently bought a 2015 Macbook Pro 13 Retina second hand, which turned up showing a cycle count of 0. The seller claims that the battery has not been changed, so I'm wondering if there's any other way for this to happen?

Did you also ask the seller if he had ever used the computer on battery only, thus requiring him to recharge the computer after use? If he says yes, he's used it on battery many times, then I would say there's a problem with the battery cycle count mechanism, whatever that is. Or...he's telling a tall one claiming the battery has never been replaced. Humans have been known to lie, you know.
 

Shed209

macrumors member
Original poster
Jul 11, 2014
73
1
Ok so the battery cycle count has ticked up to 2. So does that mean it's a legit battery with the correct chip onboard (maybe an official replacement?), or could there still be a problem here?
 

Stux

macrumors member
Jun 25, 2018
37
11
Maybe the owner just had the keyboard fixed under the extended replacement program ... which involves a battery replacement too?

Then sold it off.

It’s what I would’ve done ;)
 

JPack

macrumors G5
Mar 27, 2017
13,562
26,223
Maybe the owner just had the keyboard fixed under the extended replacement program ... which involves a battery replacement too?

Then sold it off.

It’s what I would’ve done ;)

That doesn't make any sense.
 

vemac575

macrumors 6502
Feb 18, 2018
335
164
Great, but how is that relevant to the 2015 model?

If I am understanding him correctly, he is stating that in general, her fixed something under warranty, and sold it off with the new part. Never mind it being a battery.
 

Miltz

macrumors 6502a
Sep 6, 2013
887
506
I recently bought a 2015 Macbook Pro 13 Retina second hand, which turned up showing a cycle count of 0. The seller claims that the battery has not been changed, so I'm wondering if there's any other way for this to happen?

You can always open it up to see if the battery is an original APPLE battery, if so he repaired it and sold it. Good news for you that you have a new battery. If the battery is bootleg, get a refund.
 

Fishrrman

macrumors Penryn
Feb 20, 2009
29,263
13,359
OP:

Some questions:
Does the MacBook look ok, cosmetically?
Does it boot right up, get you to the finder without problems?
Is the display in good shape?
Have you tried using the free Coconut Battery app to verify the "health" of the battery (by "health" I mean percentage of original capacity)?
If so, is the state of capacity reasonably close to 100%?
Does the battery charge properly when you connect the charger?

If the answers to the above questions are all "yes", my advice is:
Stop worrying about this.
It's small potatoes.

Take it for what it is and enjoy it.
 
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CheesePuff

macrumors 65816
Sep 3, 2008
1,456
1,581
Southwest Florida, USA
Open up the case and take a look at the battery to see if it looks like an OEM part. For the commenter who said maybe they replaced the battery which includes the top shell and battery, that is not relevant to the 2015 model.
 
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Shed209

macrumors member
Original poster
Jul 11, 2014
73
1
This is what the battery looks like (attached). Could it be aftermarket?
 

Attachments

  • MBP 13 Battery.JPG
    MBP 13 Battery.JPG
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BLUEDOG314

macrumors 6502
Dec 12, 2015
379
120
This is what the battery looks like (attached). Could it be aftermarket?

Looks like a legit battery. Since your model has the ability to run diagnostics remotely, I would call Apple support and ask them to run diagnostics on your machine. Only takes a few minutes. Also ask them to run the power adapter test.
 

Shed209

macrumors member
Original poster
Jul 11, 2014
73
1
I downloaded CoconutBattery and it's saying the battery was manufactured on 19th Jan 2018, while the machine was manufactured in June 2016 - so I assume this means it isn't the original one. It says the manufacturer is Simplo, which from reading around is indeed a manufacturer of genuine Macbook batteries. Still wondering why the seller has not been up front about the battery being changed. Something is nagging me about this.
 

iMacDragon

macrumors 68020
Oct 18, 2008
2,399
734
UK
I downloaded CoconutBattery and it's saying the battery was manufactured on 19th Jan 2018, while the machine was manufactured in June 2016 - so I assume this means it isn't the original one. It says the manufacturer is Simplo, which from reading around is indeed a manufacturer of genuine Macbook batteries. Still wondering why the seller has not been up front about the battery being changed. Something is nagging me about this.

I can only imagine they had the keyboard or some other part serviced, and didn't know this involved a new battery too.
 
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snaky69

macrumors 603
Mar 14, 2008
5,908
488
I downloaded CoconutBattery and it's saying the battery was manufactured on 19th Jan 2018, while the machine was manufactured in June 2016 - so I assume this means it isn't the original one. It says the manufacturer is Simplo, which from reading around is indeed a manufacturer of genuine Macbook batteries. Still wondering why the seller has not been up front about the battery being changed. Something is nagging me about this.
I'd just be happy it's a brand new battery, but that's me.
 
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Fishrrman

macrumors Penryn
Feb 20, 2009
29,263
13,359
OP:

You're making mountains out of molehills.
You could have bought a used MacBook Pro with an old battery.
Instead you ended up with a NEW one.
Why worry about this?
If "the rest" of the MBP seems ok, I'd be ... pleased...!
 

Dovahkiing

macrumors 6502
Nov 1, 2013
483
473
I'd just be happy it's a brand new battery, but that's me.
OP:

You're making mountains out of molehills.
You could have bought a used MacBook Pro with an old battery.
Instead you ended up with a NEW one.
Why worry about this?
If "the rest" of the MBP seems ok, I'd be ... pleased...!
I would still call it out to the seller. Having a new battery obviously isn't a problem - a dishonest seller is. True, they may just be unaware, but I'd dig deeper.
 
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