Weird bulge appeared on my MBP 15” 2018

[trip_of_hope]

Hi guys! Recently I noticed this weird bulge on the right side of my laptop and I’m not sure what it can be. Some inner parts could be swollen, right?

Quite long time ago (about 2 years) my right speaker stopped working and I know that that’s a hardware issue.

Should I be worried? Right now I need it for work and unfortunately I'm not able to get it checked by professionals.

Thank you.

 

[Rashy]

Looks a bit weird, very localized/isolated. Like a sharp corner.
Did you check the battery? You just need a pentalobe screwdriver, then you can open the bottom. Give the cells a check, maybe (only) the right one is swollen or got damaged somehow.

 

[alFR]

Could be the battery swelling? I'd get it checked ASAP.

 

[trip_of_hope]

The location is really weird. And on Reddit guy also told me that it can be the battery.

I'm currently in a foreign country and I'll get it checked only in a week

Looks a bit weird, very localized/isolated. Like a sharp corner.
Did you check the battery? You just need a pentalobe screwdriver, then you can open the bottom. Give the cells a check, maybe (only) the right one is swollen or got damaged somehow.

 

[trip_of_hope]

Could be the battery swelling? I'd get it checked ASAP.

I'll check it really soon, thank you

Here on this forum I found some threads with the same bulges but in a very different place, they were connected to the swollen hard drive.

 

[DeltaMac]

Here's another vote for: check the battery for visible swelling. This is not something that you should delay.

 

[trip_of_hope]

Here's another vote for: check the battery for visible swelling. This is not something that you should delay.

Thank you, I'll check it asap when I come back home in a week.

 

[msackey]

Hi guys! Recently I noticed this weird bulge on the right side of my laptop and I’m not sure what it can be. Some inner parts could be swollen, right?

Quite long time ago (about 2 years) my right speaker stopped working and I know that that’s a hardware issue.

Should I be worried? Right now I need it for work and unfortunately I'm not able to get it checked by professionals.

Thank you.

I’ll hazard a guess that it’s your battery.

I’ve had on numerous occasions, the battery of my iPhone and MacBook Pro swollen and create a bulge. My 2017 MacBook Pro developed a bulge sometime in the middle of this year in spite of not having many cycles on the battery. I suspected that having it constantly plugged in — due to the pandemic, I wasn’t going anywhere — rapidly shortened the life of the laptop. It bulged in such a way that typing on the keyboard felt a little stiff and when I put my laptop on the table, it would rock slightly left and right. I took it to the Apple Store and it was diagnosed as swollen battery. I’m glad that macOS Monterey now has a way to reduce the charge of laptops that are constantly plugged in.

While Apple only charged the “repair” as a battery replacement, they also replaced the top case and other parts of the body that were affected due to the swelling of the battery. So, I recommend getting it replaced at Apple. I suppose you could replace the battery replaced yourself, but then you wouldn’t get the bulged case replaced.

I’ve also had my iPhone 6s swollen twice! It was replaced once, and then had to be replaced again a year later.

 

[msackey]

I'll check it really soon, thank you

Here on this forum I found some threads with the same bulges but in a very different place, they were connected to the swollen hard drive.

wow! How/why would a hard drive swell?

I understand swollen batteries result from the off gassing that can occur due to chemical reaction. But hard drive swelling? What causes that?

 

[trip_of_hope]

wow! How/why would a hard drive swell?

I understand swollen batteries result from the off gassing that can occur due to chemical reaction. But hard drive swelling? What causes that?

I double checked it 🙈 and that was some metal thingies around the hard drive that got deformed due to pressure and heat on the wrist pad (?)... and that even wasn't related to the battery at all.

 

[GSWForever8]

Try this: press the apple logo on your mac, then press option. Select system information. Go to power. Then, check the battery cycle. If it’s around 1000, then it’s probably the battery that’s swollen.

 

[dreamerstree]

I double checked it 🙈 and that was some metal thingies around the hard drive that deformed due to pressure and heat on the wrist pad (?)... and that even wasn't related to the battery at all.

Hard drive swelling is not a thing, and that is not where the hard drive is located. Normally, when the battery expands, it pushes on the bottom making the bulge on the bottom of the computer, sometimes it can push up on the trackpad making it feel stiff. It's likely the battery, definitely not the hard drive.

Contact Apple Support via phone or chat and they can run diagnostics to check some stuff out to see if it is indeed the battery, or something else.

 

[trip_of_hope]

I’ll hazard a guess that it’s your battery.

I’ve had on numerous occasions, the battery of my iPhone and MacBook Pro swollen and create a bulge. My 2017 MacBook Pro developed a bulge sometime in the middle of this year in spite of not having many cycles on the battery. I suspected that having it constantly plugged in — due to the pandemic, I wasn’t going anywhere — rapidly shortened the life of the laptop. It bulged in such a way that typing on the keyboard felt a little stiff and when I put my laptop on the table, it would rock slightly left and right. I took it to the Apple Store and it was diagnosed as swollen battery. I’m glad that macOS Monterey now has a way to reduce the charge of laptops that are constantly plugged in.

While Apple only charged the “repair” as a battery replacement, they also replaced the top case and other parts of the body that were affected due to the swelling of the battery. So, I recommend getting it replaced at Apple. I suppose you could replace the battery replaced yourself, but then you wouldn’t get the bulged case replaced.

I’ve also had my iPhone 6s swollen twice! It was replaced once, and then had to be replaced again a year later.

Thank you! I'll get it checked.

Weird thing, I've had this laptop since 2018 and I don't event have that many cycle counts...

 

[trip_of_hope]

Hard drive swelling is not a thing, and that is not where the hard drive is located. Normally, when the battery expands, it pushes on the bottom making the bulge on the bottom of the computer, sometimes it can push up on the trackpad making it feel stiff. It's likely the battery, definitely not the hard drive.

Contact Apple Support via phone or chat and they can run diagnostics to check some stuff out to see if it is indeed the battery, or something else.

Got it! Thank you!

It's just weird that that's the only thing that is swollen/bulged is this line. Nothing on the bottom or anywhere else.

 

[trip_of_hope]

Try this: press the apple logo on your mac, then press option. Select system information. Go to power. Then, check the battery cycle. If it’s around 1000, then it’s probably the battery that’s swollen.

Yeah, I was always very cautious about cycle count and I just checked it and it's only 435 and I've had this MBP since 2018...

 

[dreamerstree]

Thank you! I'll get it checked.

Weird thing, I've had this laptop since 2018 and I don't event have that many cycle counts...

Condition shows Service Recommended, which confirms that the battery is not working correctly.

 

[trip_of_hope]

Condition shows Service Recommended, which confirms that the battery is not working correctly.

I currently in Istanbul and they do have an official Apple Store, does it mean I can just go there and ask them to check it?

Sorry for stupid questions 😞

 

[dreamerstree]

I currently in Istanbul and they do have an official Apple Store, does it mean I can just go there and ask them to check it?

Sorry for stupid questions 😞

Absolutely, you can. Apple Support can run diagnostics to confirm, but it is right there in black and white. The Apple Store, or an Apple Authorized Service Provider, can check it, and offer repair options.

 

[msackey]

I double checked it 🙈 and that was some metal thingies around the hard drive that got deformed due to pressure and heat on the wrist pad (?)... and that even wasn't related to the battery at all.

Wow! That’s the first I’ve heard of such a strange way to deform. Very interesting! Yikes!

 

[DeltaMac]

Yes... You have a world-wide warranty. (but you are probably out of warranty by now), you should be able to get the battery serviced/replaced at any Apple store in the world (assuming you have the time for that) And the store should at least be able to inspect the battery, and let you know that is the source of the damage on the outside of your case.

 

[msackey]

Yeah, I was always very cautious about cycle count and I just checked it and it's only 435 and I've had this MBP since 2018...

I believe my 2017 MBP had even fewer cycle counts than that and it still got a battery bulge. I do suspect that for mine, having it plugged in almost constantly for a year reduced the life.

macOS Monterey now is much “smarter”. When it detects that the laptop has been plugged in and at 100% for a number of days, it’ll reduce the charge so that the battery slowly goes back down to 80-ish to 90 percent as opposed to constantly keeping the battery at 100%. It’s great!

 

[LoveTo]

That bulge looks like the laptop fell on the side and the body took a hit. Probably some soft surface so no scratches. May be it was one of your family members who got afraid and just picked it up without telling you?

 

[trip_of_hope]

Thank you everyone!

I'll go tomorrow to the Apple Store and ask them to check it. Don't think they will be able to replace it / fix it in a couple days... On Monday I'll be back to my home country and give it to the repair center ASAP.

 

[trip_of_hope]

That bulge looks like the laptop fell on the side and the body took a hit. Probably some soft surface so no scratches. May be it was one of your family members who got afraid and just picked it up without telling you?

I don't think so... but who knows. Т_Т

Thank you.

 

[trip_of_hope]

I believe my 2017 MBP had even fewer cycle counts than that and it still got a battery bulge. I do suspect that for mine, having it plugged in almost constantly for a year reduced the life.

macOS Monterey now is much “smarter”. When it detects that the laptop has been plugged in and at 100% for a number of days, it’ll reduce the charge so that the battery slowly goes back down to 80-ish to 90 percent as opposed to constantly keeping the battery at 100%. It’s great!

It does sound like my issue as well. Cuz I kept it plugged in a lot...

Hope that not about Apple reminding me to buy a new M1 MBP by screwing up my old one 🙈