Hi guys,
Owning a Macbook Pro 2017 i7 15inch 256GB bought brandnew end of 2019
Battery is now worn out and message "Service Recommended" popped up
Fee for battery change at Apple is $410
Is it worth changing battery or shall I just sell it and and put the money on a new M1 / M2 ?
cheers
yea clearly $410 is a turnoff especially considering the quality of new M chips
I checked to change it myself: iFixit kit is $187 and that's of course without the battery so probably wont risk it
cheers!
iFixit kit is $187 and that's of course without the battery so probably wont risk it
Just looked up the iFixit guide to replace a Macbook Pro 2017 battery and it requires the removal of the whole logic board. Not too difficult if you have the tools and technical knowledge, just time consuming.
I remember when I replaced my Macbook Air Battery, it was just the back cover + a few screws inside.
they make it a pain so we dont risk it and they can pocket $400 replacement fee for a 3.5 year-old laptop
it only has 400 cycles yet full charge capacity lost 50%+
@UnemployedDeveloper: Tried taking it back to a store and talking about it? In the good old days Apple would have replaced something like that, that clearly hasn't lasted as long as it should have
and it requires the removal of the whole logic board.
Sound like a pain. I hope there aren't any finnicky ribbon cables you have to handle because an amateur could damage them easily.
I recently swapped the battery on an Acer laptop. After taking the bottom cover off with the help of a card out of my wallet, the battery was right there ready to unscrew and pull out with just a small JST type connector. Plug n play easy.
Battery was $60 delivered and plus my time that's all it cost.
It might be worth going to Apple and seeing if they will help you. We got a battery replaced for free on a 5 year old computer.
what did you say to get a replacement ? you might be part of a global replacement program on faulty models.
I tried via chat customer service they said I would have to pay $410
Oh chat is the problem. Book in with a genius. And then mention the consumer law and they will cut you a break. We weren't rude or anything just like oh is there any way you can help us out?
I had the same thing. Managed to find a replacement battery off eBay for $100.
Turned out to be a brand new, and genuine Apple battery.
Followed a video guide, and did it myself one afternoon.
So yah.
Sell it with the disclaimer about the battery. Someone handy will buy it at a decent price.
Put that money and the imaginary money saved from the battery replacement towards a new laptop.
Has your keyboard failed yet?
If it has, they will replace that and the battery free of charge. They even replaced mine after I had installed a third party battery. That was at Apple Hornsby
unfortunately keyboard is fine - but perhaps I can bullshit saying it fails from time to time ?
It won't show up in the deep diagnostic checks apple can perform. But, you do you.
People find this acceptable?
What? That batteries wear out? Yes, I find the laws of physics acceptable.
No, I find $410 not acceptable
Oh OK, fair comment.
This does include labour costs too though, from a major manufacturer its pretty normal. There's always the option of buying a non-genuine battery and repairing it yourself or at some non-Apple place.
Even the base M1 Air or MBP will be more powerful than your MacBook. You could keep using it as a home Mac, connect some external monitors to it. That 15 inch display is mighty tasty and even without a battery would be a fine "desktop" machine, or bedside Netflix machine.
YOU MAY not even need to change it? i had a 2013 macbook and i never changed it. service prompt went away.
that's what i thought but if you check the "Full Charge Capacity" in your system settings you might scare yourself. After 390 cycles my FCC is down to 4800mAh, more than 50% loss compared to day 1.
i thought of a problem but after what? 10 year it work fine still…
don't spend 401 changing it. it'll soon deprieate too. that new battery . it won't last long anyway
If you never use it 'on battery' then I wouldn't bother changing it,….my MacBook 2015 had same issue, got it swapped at apple store early last year, went to offload the MacBook 2nd, so wiped the disk over night after rarely using it (got a new M1 Air) and then the bloody battery started swelling! Removed the battery and handed off to relative as a always on desktop…
For $410, I would put that money towards a new Macbook.
PS: If you have some technical skills, it very easy to replace the battery yourself (<$100 for an aftermarket battery on eBay; main issue is the quality of the battery).