What are my options to get new battery and back case fixed for Macbook Pro?

[yodaa]

Hello,

I bought my macbook pro 15 inch on 17th May 2011 from Apple Online Store. It was a customised version and I also used student discount.

I came back from holiday and notice that on 15th August 2016, the battery of my mac was swollen/expanded to such an extent that it has made dent for the back cover. After looking at the google images, I was very afraid that it may ruin the other system body parts!

Based on the advice from Apple Support Chat team, I opened the back case but I was not able to take battery out as screws were very tight!! I've attache the images with this post. Also, they suggested to take it to Stormfront which is the closest one I've in town.

As such it is still less than 6 years, I'd like to use EU Consumer Law for this repair. But I got mix comments from Apple care/sales representatives that 2 of them said to use Stormfront, 2 said to not to use them, use actual Apple store instead for diagnose to use EU Consumer Law.

I'm not getting a clear answer from them. Due to this delay, I'm afraid that if battery is not removed soon, it may affect other parts of the system.

Has anyone experienced this kind of failure before with a system that is out of warranty? What did you do to get it resolved? Or any other advice will also be helpful.

Thanks

 

[JTToft]

EU consumer law only guarantees two years of "warranty". Do you mean UK Sale of Goods Act?

In any event, I'd say you should be able to remove the battery yourself if you can get to the screws for the swelling. You need a Y1 Tri-wing driver.

https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/MacBook+Pro+15-Inch+Unibody+Early+2011+Battery+Replacement/5889

 

[yodaa]

EU consumer law only guarantees two years of "warranty". Do you mean UK Sale of Goods Act?

In any event, I'd say you should be able to remove the battery yourself if you can get to the screws for the swelling. You need a Y1 Tri-wing driver.

https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/MacBook+Pro+15-Inch+Unibody+Early+2011+Battery+Replacement/5889

I meant this law: http://www.apple.com/uk/legal/statutory-warranty/ For England, it is for 6 years and 5 years in Scotland.

I have this screw driver with which I was able to open the far left screw of same type that is under that cover. But the other two are very tight and has probably damaged (screw thread) due to the nature of accident. This was the reason I was not able to open it even after so many hard trails.

 

[JTToft]

I meant this law: http://www.apple.com/uk/legal/statutory-warranty/ For England, it is for 6 years and 5 years in Scotland.

I have this screw driver with which I was able to open the far left screw of same type that is under that cover. But the other two are very tight and has probably damaged (screw thread) due to the nature of accident. This was the reason I was not able to open it even after so many hard trails.

- Yes, that's specific to the UK. You guys are lucky.

I'd say take it to an Apple Store as soon as possible and have them do it.

 

[maflynn]

Well, if you're still within your local consumer laws warranty, then definitely give it a shot. Batteries are considered consumable though a swollen battery is not normal. Good luck and post back your success/failure

 

[thekev]

Batteries are considered consumable though a swollen battery is not normal. Good luck and post back your success/failure

It's actually somewhat common with the unibody macbook pros. It was a terrible design problem. Some people mentioned that Apple replaced it for them. In my case I just received a standard repair quote. It had expired applecare at the time.

 

[yodaa]

It's actually somewhat common with the unibody macbook pros. It was a terrible design problem. Some people mentioned that Apple replaced it for them. In my case I just received a standard repair quote. It had expired applecare at the time.

Yes, I've read similar comments. Some had this issue resolved free of cost even without warranty maybe due to law as per location, no. of cycles and other reasons.

 

[definitive]

I don't know, but the quickest solution for me would be to remove the battery, and replace it with a new one from either Apple, Anker, or some other reputable maker. It's odd that you can't unscrew the battery. The 2012 model has a three point screw, and the battery has these plastic loops through which screws go, which can be clipped off (in some cases they can even break off on their own). As for cover - you could probably find a used one on EBay. It won't be cheap, but it will do the job.

If on the other hand you're covered by warranty from Apple, then by all means contact them.

 

[thewap]

Very easy to replace both the battery and the backcase.

 

[Dangerous Theory]

Recently took a 2011 13" MBP to Apple with this issue. The battery had swollen to the point of cracking the trackpad and damaging the bottom enclosure. They were happy to replace the damaged components caused by the battery free of charge - new keyboard/trackpad/bottom case but not the battery itself - their reason being that "you should replace your battery every two years". Not convinced by that argument at all, since my 2012 MBP has 1130 cycles, and is only displaying the "replace soon" warning on the battery.

So total cost was £109 for the battery, and I ended up with a half new laptop (same display and internals as they were undamaged). The problem with the UK Consumer Rights Act (previously Sale of Goods Act) is that the onus is on the customer, after 6 months, to prove that the fault was there from the start. This just isn't feasible in reality, especially when it involves a battery.

Also for future reference, it's important not to keep a Lithium-ion battery fully charged for long periods of time (weeks-months) to prevent cell expansion. So you should regularly cycle your batteries (even if it's just dropping down to 80% and back to 100% often), and you shouldn't store a device turned-off and fully charged for ages.