MacBook Pro - overheating problem and battery question

Hi guys,

I haven't posted here in a while, but for a few weeks I've been meaning to ask your expert advice on a couple of things. I had a three-year Applecare plan for my 15" MBP which expired in February this year. In January I had sent it in for repair because I had had a problem with the machine overheating, a faulty key, a recessed power button and a dodgy battery for a while but couldn't afford to be without the machine for any length of time because of my university studies. I got it back and everything was fine (though they didn't fix everything properly the first time and I had to send it in again so I was without it for almost a month!) but in the last few weeks I've noticed that my laptop is once again heating up VERY quickly when I use it (on a normal surface such as my desk or coffee table) and fairly quickly gets to the point where the underside is too hot to actually touch for too long. My warranty is up, but I'm not sure what I should do about this. To be honest, I haven't always found Apple's customer service to be great, so I'm not keen to start sending it in for repair when the warranty has expired. (Or should I now have an extended warranty on the actual repair work that was done in January?) Is there something I can do to reduce this excessive overheating?

Also - I haven't been doing this but I've decided to start removing my battery when the computer is running on the power adapter, in order to conserve it for when I'm actually out and about. Is it okay to have the battery out and leave the compartment exposed?

Thanks in advance for any advice!

Anyone?

I would inform Apple of the problem letting them know that the repairs they made were not satisfactory and that the machine was overheating. See how they respond. They may decide to do the work under an extended warranty.

As far as removing the battery and leaving the cover off, probably not a good idea. Removing the battery does cause the CPU to slow down which might help reduce the overheating a bit, but with the cover off the machine is exposed to dust, dirt, moisture, etc.

Regards.