Can laptop batteries be repaired

InDebtToEverydayLiving

I've seen cheap Chinese batteries damage motherboards. SEEN it. So be careful, it's all personal preference.

I've also seen cheap'ish' Chinese batteries do very well as yes, sometimes they are indeed made at the same manufacturers.

A good way to get around this is to check on 'partmaster', then use their part number on an online search and see if you can get it cheaper anywhere else.

;-)

Notmyrealname

fwor wrote: »

For me that's a good reason not to buy a new Sony Vaio. It's one area where the Commission should rule on anti-competitive behaviour, and stop it being done.

Sony will merely reply that they do it to ensure the best experience for their customers. With the amount of crap batteries out there, you can't argue against that.

fwor

Notmyrealname wrote: »

you can't argue against that.

I can argue against that. Original manufacturer batteries are frequently massively overpriced. For example £80 to replace an original Dell battery that lasted - with very careful use - less than a year.

If we allow them to "chip" their batteries so that only originals will work, we allow them to create a monopoly for themselves, and there is no incentive for them not to make massive profits on replacements.

It's bad for the consumer, and it's bad for the environment, because owners (not just of computers, but of cameras and anything else with a replaceable battery) just throw them away instead of replacing the battery.

My own personal experience of non-branded replacement batteries has been generally good. Capacity usually comes close to original spec, and I've never had one explode or catch fire or do anything unexpected. At a quarter or less of the price of a "genuine" one, I find it hard to argue against that.

am

My own personal experience of non-branded replacement batteries has been generally good.

Same here. It really is down to the individual battery i.e with non-branded, you will get poor quality products occasionally just like you do with branded products. I guess with products that are branded, you'd expect a higher quality over the long run.

kirkatronics

I work in IT for a small company, we have around 50-60 laptops, and around 100 users.
We have used both OEM, and generic batteries from eBay many times.
We always test them, and we have found that they both occasionally can be dangerous, and we have found that all brands, cheap or not, have defective batteries once in a while.
Just make sure you check reviews, and if you have the facilities, test the battery.
Personally i wouldn't risk trying to replace the batteries yourself within the shell.

m5rcc

Notmyrealname wrote: »

Because my Macbook Pro uses a Lithium Polymer battery that will still have 80% capacity after 1000 cycles. Because a Thinkpad T series has a very strong alloy cage to protect the screen and mainboard and because in both cases after 4 years the second hand value will still be more than the retail price of the brand new laptop you bought from Tesco which had died 2 years earlier.

Simple solution if one is home all the time: do not leave the battery on at 100% with mains power: it'll just cook. I always remove my battery when it reaches full charge and leave the laptop on mains without the battery. Possible on most laptops, especially Macs and Thinkpads.