DIY MBP Unibody battery replacement

fjon

I was wondering if anyone has changed the battery themselves on a unibody MacBook Pro?
Ifixit has a pretty good article on doing it, and it looks fairly easy - just need to buy a special screwdriver.
Is it worth the 100e or so, or is it best to get it done professionally?
The MBP is out of warranty at this stage.

Sad Professor

It's simple to do. The problem is getting a genuine Apple battery. I wouldn't trust anything on Ebay.

Personally I think unless you can source an Apple OEM battery you are probably better off just paying the €130 or whatever it is to have an AASP do it.

fjon

Sad Professor wrote: »

It's simple to do. The problem is getting a genuine Apple battery. I wouldn't trust anything on Ebay.

Personally I think unless you can source an Apple OEM battery you are probably better off just paying the €130 or whatever it is to have an AASP do it.

Ok. The price I've been given is €130 for the battery, but €70 for installation. €200 for a battery is really steep!

Sad Professor

They are ripping you off. Apple only charge 130 - unless it's a 17-inch or Retina. Who quoted you this price? Try elsewhere.

ironictoaster

I'm in the same situation as the OP. I was quoted the same thing with compub for a mid 2010 13 inch model today. I'm finding it very hard to find OEM parts for MBP.

ironictoaster

Only places I can find them are from the US. They go for around $150. I'm afraid I'll be hit with customs..

fjon

CompuB for me as well. Would somewhere like Mactivate charge me only €130?
CompuB did state that that was the price of the battery, but they would charge me extra for replacing it.

ironictoaster

fjon wrote: »

CompuB for me as well. Would somewhere like Mactivate charge me only €130?
CompuB did state that that was the price of the battery, but they would charge me extra for replacing it.

I called Mactivate earlier today. They're looking for €189

fjon

Same price nearly.
It seems such a shame to pay that much more when something like this would be less than half the price:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/GENUINE-Original-Apple-Precision-Aluminum/dp/B009REG4IC/ref=sr_1_1?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1376324172&sr=1-1&keywords=macbook+pro+unibody+battery

ironictoaster

fjon wrote: »

Same price nearly.
It seems such a shame to pay that much more when something like this would be less than half the price:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/GENUINE-Original-Apple-Precision-Aluminum/dp/B009REG4IC/ref=sr_1_1?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1376324172&sr=1-1&keywords=macbook+pro+unibody+battery

Surely they're counterfeit??

fjon

Hard to say! 4 5* reviews and 2 1*. I think the problem will be finding a genuine battery.
Would the Apple store in Belfast replace it for just the cost of the battery without the extra €70?

ironictoaster

ifixit are selling them around 154 usd with shipping. Even with customs it would probably still work out cheaper...

Sad Professor

fjon wrote: »

Hard to say! 4 5* reviews and 2 1*. I think the problem will be finding a genuine battery.
Would the Apple store in Belfast replace it for just the cost of the battery without the extra €70?

Yes. 99 Sterling I think.

fjon

Ok, with diesel and tolls it's probably going to cost about the same to go there than it is to pay the €200 to get it done here.
Also given the gamble you're taking buying your own battery it's probably not worth going that route.
I guess I'll get it done at an AASP here, but grudgingly.

ironictoaster

Will a US battery work on an Irish mac? I'm thinking about going down the ifixit route.

Nemeses

ironictoaster wrote: »

Will a US battery work on an Irish mac? I'm thinking about going down the ifixit route.

An american battery would be the same as purchasing an "Irish" battery.

It would be fine as long as it is an official Apple part.

ironictoaster

This site seems to have official MBP batteries. Looks decent.

http://www.powerbookmedic.com/MacBook-Pro-13-A1322-Battery-p-17740.html

whiterebel

You could try these guys in the UK.....They are around a long, long time.

ironictoaster

whiterebel wrote: »

You could try these guys in the UK.....They are around a long, long time.

Who?

Right so I finally opened my MBP for the first time to see if I need that tri-wing screwdriver or a phillips head. However I noticed which scared the crap out me. Anyone know exactly what is burnt out?

whiterebel

Whoops!!!

http://www.applemacparts.co.uk/store/index.php

Sad Professor

Looks like corrosion. Have you ever had any spillages?

I'm not sure, but I think those are just voltage test points used to test the logic board. So if the machine still works okay it's probably nothing to worry about.

Sad Professor

whiterebel wrote: »

Whoops!!!

http://www.applemacparts.co.uk/store/index.php

They are a bit pricey. £145 before shipping.

ironictoaster

Sad Professor wrote: »

Looks like corrosion. Have you ever had any spillages?

I'm not sure, but I think those are just voltage test points used to test the logic board. So if the machine still works okay it's probably nothing to worry about.

Not that I recall. It's rarely left my desk. Thanks for the letting me know. I had a little heart attack when I saw it.

I bit the bullet and ordered an official macbook pro battery for 189 dollars. After searching high and low for OEM batteries. Apple truly have you by the balls :pac: