Chosen Solution
Hello ifixers. The case is already familiar. After 382 charges and 1109 days of life, the battery is not charging at all and the “Service Recommended“ is on.
As a true DIYer with a lot of experience, I opened my MacBook Pro to disconnect the battery for at least 5 minutes. During that time and a careful inspection, found a little hole at the bottom right of the bottom right cell.
What is this hole? Thankfully battery is not charging (battery temp 31 Celsius) thus preventing a serious fire.
I don’t think this is a hole per-say. What you discovered is a fold-over of the sealing tape used to cover the end of the battery wires (voltage and thermal sensors) which run along the edge. Just like wrapping up a birthday gift a curved surface is hard to cover without pleats and tape folds. In any case you do indeed need a new battery! Technically Apple should replace it under extended warranty! As you clearly haven’t exceeded the expected life of the battery (1000 cycles) or even gotten close to half way! Determine battery cycle count for Mac notebooks Print this and have it handy when you do goto the Apple Store, its your ace up your sleeve! I’ll warn you! You may need to press a bit (be polite!) and don’t accept no as the answer! Talk to the service manager and then the store manager. Have a tear or two running down your face and make sure your system is spotlessly clean and carry it in within a padded case (showing you take care of your gear) A system which has a greasy display or signs of filth won’t get the same treatment as a clean one! Also very important! Don’t volunteer any info like opening your system (even seeing the battery) or even saying anyone else did. Put everything back so no one is the wiser!
