A bulge in the wrong place

I thought I had posted about this.  But in chatting with our neighbour, I didn't.  This is something that I think would fit a blog worthy post.  I noticed that my MacBook Pro was not sitting flat on my desk.  I wasn't sure what was wrong.  Then I noticed the case had a slight bulge on the underside.  I knew what it as after I saw that.  The battery on our 2015 MBP was needing to be replaced.  The last MBP I had had the same problem after a few years.  The trackpad couldn't be depressed and it was due to the battery having expanded so much it was interfering with other hardware components.  It was also giving off a lot of heat.  Those are typical symptoms of a battery that is end of it's lifespan.

This was March 2020.  Start of COVID-19 lockdown.  All the malls were closed so all the Apple Stores were now shut down.  I couldn't get it serviced unless I brought it to a 3rd party.  And I needed to schedule an appointment.

How hard could it be?  The last one was easy.  But the battery had it's own door and could be replaced easily without any tools.  Now with all the slim design stuff.  This laptop is more like an iPhone. It makes replacement of a battery a science project on it's own.

First thing I did was google replacing a battery for a MacBook Pro.  There are several YouTube videos on how to do this.  Google it yourself if you are having this very problem.

There is one that uses solvent to dissolve the adhesive holding the battery in the laptop.   It does have 2 screws but to keep it from moving around adhesive is used.  And it enables a more slim design.  

There's another video that uses a plastic scraper tool to separate the battery from the case.  This is the video that I followed.   That's because the video using the solvent says to limit the solvent's use as it can damage the other components.  So I decided to avoid it altogether.

There's other tricky bits with the ribbon that connect the components to the mainboard.  They are thin and fragile.  Also to get to the battery you need to remove the speakers and the HD and disconnect the trackpad.  Then  you can remove the battery.  The battery replacement kit I got off Amazon came with the 2 screwdrivers you need to remove the case cover along with the battery.  However it doesn't come with a tool to actually remove the battery.  You need either solvent or a pry tool (preferable not metal, sharp and pointy that it could damage the laptop main board).

Without the solvent you need to use a plastic tool (I have nylon wedges and pry bars I use for the car interior) to break the adhesive.   Be patient and careful, working it bit by bit.  It'll eventually get free. Then it's a matter of putting it all back together.   The screws for the bottom case cover have different sizes so make sure you note which position they came out of.

We have had this battery in now for over 45 days now and it's working great again!