I'm getting a "Service Battery" warning. What should I do?

[countfufu]

I’m receiving a "service battery" warning. I have a mac book pro 13 “ early 2011. the cycle count is 632. the design capacity according to coconut battery is 66.8%. should I replace the battery?

 

[IWT]

According the the Apple article linked below, your precise Model should be good for a cycle count of 1,000.

Determine battery cycle count for Mac laptops – Apple Support (UK)

Find out how to determine the number of cycles your Mac laptop’s battery has.

support.apple.com

You might also read this detailed Apple article on Notebook batteries. It covers all aspects of battery life and when to replace the battery amongst other features.

If you see Service Recommended on your MacBook Air or MacBook Pro – Apple Support (UK)

Find out how to check the health of your battery and resolve charging issues.

support.apple.com

This should help too:

Replacing MacBook Batteries

If your MacBook doesn't last as long as before when not plugged in, SimplyFixIt can replace the battery.

simplyfixit.co.uk

Ian

 

[Randy B. Singer]

I’m receiving a "service battery" warning. I have a mac book pro 13 “ early 2011. the cycle count is 632. the design capacity according to coconut battery is 66.8%. should I replace the battery?

If Coconut Battery is reporting that you have 80% or less of design capacity left, your laptop's battery is toast. But you probably already know that, because you are almost assuredly seeing only a fraction of the run-time you saw when your laptop was new.

Things like "cycle count" are irrelevant, because that can be influenced by all sorts of things, such has how you've used your laptop and how often and how deeply it was charged. What's important is how much of a charge your battery can now hold.

In addition to Apple, if you live in the U.S. you can also get a genuine Apple battery installed by Best Buy.

All Best Buy stores can now repair your Apple devices

Best Buy can do same-day iPhone screen repairs, too.

www.theverge.com

 

[chscag]

Normally, I would not recommend taking anything to Best Buy to have it repaired. But I was pleasantly surprised when my local Best Buy store installed a new battery in my backup iPhone 7+. They did a professional job just as if I had taken it to an Apple Store.

Your experience may vary, however, depending on the store and the personnel doing the repairs. But since Apple Stores are mostly closed here in the US, using Best Buy may be the best alternative.

 

[MacInWin]

I had a local Experimax replace my battery. They did a good job and it was reasonably priced. They are franchised, so YMMV, but the local guys here have my business over BB any day.

 

[chscag]

It should be noted that Best Buy is an Apple authorized repair service and will do repairs according to Apple warranty policy (Applecare) and prices.

Again, your mileage may vary depending on the store, but keep in mind while Apple Stores are closed that an AASP may be the only choice you have for warranty repairs.

Out of warranty repairs are a different matter altogether.