Evening all. I'm currently using a late 2011 MacBook Pro but the battery is finally on the way out and needs replacing asap. I've already been to an Apple Store but got told the laptop was 'vintage' so therefore Apple no longer offer a battery replacement. I keep hearing horror stories of dodgy batteries from retailers claiming to be the genuine item so I'm struggling to find a reputable retailer. Has anyone got any experience of reliable replacement? Happy to entertain the idea of an after market manufacturer if the battery is as good as the real thing.
I've upgraded the RAM and HDD to SDD so the laptop's plenty fast enough for what I need and the diagnostic tests indicate everything is working fine, so buying a new model is an option I'd prefer to avoid!
Have a search on MacRumors forums. iFixIt ?
Took a guess at your exact model
I put an off-brand battery from megamac.com into my mid-2012 Macbook Pro about a year ago. A little over £100 I think, easy installation and works well.
Funnily enough I have a 2011 macbook pro where the motherboard died, 110 days after apple replaced it and now they won't touch it, again the "vintage" load of BS.
It'll be going on ebay soon. Battery is good, but it's not brand new.
I'm not really sure my experience will be of much use, but I have a 2011 MBP and the battery died. I bought a "genuine" apple replacement from an ebay store. Upon arrival it was obviously anything but genuine. I needed the battery so installed it anyway.
Long story short the battery cuts out without warning at 8% and doesn't hold charge as long as the original. I had intended to persue the ebay seller with a mind to getting a partial refund but I just didn't bother in the enp up. It was about £40 iirc.
I too have a 2011 MBP that needs a new battery and I have also replaced HD with SSD and upgraded RAM, following with interest.
Apple don't supply parts to third parties to sell so anything claiming to be genuine won't be and will probably be cheap, unreliable crap to boot.I'm not really sure my experience will be of much use, but I have a 2011 MBP and the battery died. I bought a "genuine" apple replacement from an ebay store.
What you want to look for instead is something compatible from a trustworthy brand but doesn't claim to be "genuine Apple".
Not had to replace a battery yet but I've used MegaMac in the past (no affiliation!) for hardware and they've always supplied quality stuff so I'd probably be looking at them first.
zilog6128Apple don't supply parts to third parties to sell so anything claiming to be genuine won't be and will probably be cheap, unreliable crap to boot.
Hey, thanks for the heads up there. Now if you could just travel back in time two years and tell my past self that piece of information then hopefully my past self will know that when an ebay seller with 100% positive feedback and many thousands of transactions describes an item as 100% genuine Apple parts and post pictures of actual genuine Apple parts my past self will know that this is too good to be true and will buy from an alternative supplier instead. Thus my current self will be able to use 100% of my battery life and not 92%.
Many thanks 😀
sorry no can do, already used up all my plutonium travelling back to the 80s to buy Tommy K monster munch.
Buggery.
I had the same issue more or less as jimjam - it's not possible to tell from the ad that it's not a genuine part, and plenty of people resell Apple gear from new. Again, for £40 my attempts at recovery were limited but the battery did OK for a year or so so I wasn't exactly chasing it.
same boat but with a 2009 model...
have tried 1 battery and it was pants..
I had a 2011(?)-ish MBP a few years ago. Battery went. Replaced it with a cheap one off eBay (~£40) which was, unsurprisingly, pants.
Bought a genuine one from the Apple store (~£100). About a year later it had bulged so much the laptop rocked on a flat surface. Took it back to the Apple store and had to argue with the manager before they accepted that it wasn't for for purpose and gave me a new one.
This isn't much help, but just pointing out that even genuine Apple stuff isn't all sweetness and light, and they don't necessarily stand behind it.
Buy a PC? (Surprised I'm the first to suggest that)
Thanks everyone. Glad to hear I'm not the only one in a similar situation. If I find any suitable retailers I'll post up details.
I bought this one on Amazon [url= https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B012MXROUG/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 ]Amazon Linky[/url] in May and was pleasantly surprised.
Seems to hold charge well and is a massive improvement over the previous 6-month-old cheapy eBay job it replaced.
Like I said thanks for the recommendations everyone.
Lorne - I've gone with your suggestion of Megamac so if it all goes tits up then it's your fault! Joking aside, they have a decent website, with good instructions, warranty etc plus a phone number I can pester someone on if there's an issue. Yes, it's more expensive but it's still considerably cheaper than a new mac.
Euain - I had a good look at your link. The reviews look good but the Megamac website swung it for me.
I have a mid 2009 13" MacBook pro. I replaced the battery a couple of years ago with an eBay one, no issues. run time not as good as the original when it was new. Better than the original after a few years.
Replaced the battery last week and then spent two days, and counting, trying to unbork the MacBook. Not sure why but has totally screwed the SMC settings. I have ended up returning the new battery as a pile of crap and am just trying to get it to recognise the old battery and do something.
Is this something that MTB batteries could branch out into?
By way of an update in case anyone finds this thread, mega ad battery arrived promptly with the required screwdrivers. Good instructions online and easy to fit. My Mac is running quieter and cooler. Battery life is approx 4-5 hours web browsing and other relatively menial tasks. I'm happy, highly recommended.
[url= https://www.megamac.com/collections/batteries-for-macbook-pro/products/newertech-nupower-65-watt-hour-battery-1 ]Newertech Battery[/url]
Is this the one, i guess the question is whether it is going to be more reliable than the £40 amazon and eBay specials.
Battery life is approx 4-5 hours web browsing and other relatively menial tasks.
Isn't that half the original life though?
My 2010 MBP is down to about 2 hours now, but was 8+ back when it was new...
Alpha don't forget to calibrate the battery. Run it right down from fully charged before charging again. Usage time should go up if you do this.
Newertech from Megamac.com, yep that's the one. Had mine in for over a year and it's performing well.
Footflaps and sandwich - the instructions with the battery included the calibration process. It's a fair point though, I'll do it again to see if it improves at all. 8 hours plus? I don't think I ever achieved that!
8 hours screen time will drain any battery unless it's a really big battery.
With laptops, or, ahem mackbooks it's really the screen that drains.
Lowering the screen brightness is probably the best thing you can do assuming you're not running unessesary apps.