Computer Shuts Down When Battery Gets Low

I have a few interconnected issues and one peripheral issue:
1) When battery charge gets down to between 20% and 10%, by MacBook shuts off. It doesn't go to sleep. It just shuts off.
2) Battery loses charge quickly (I get about 1.5 hours of use out of it, which is no good for a machine that's a year old, right?)
3) I think the machine runs to hot and fan gets too loud.
The above all occur when set for "better battery life" and when doing light web surfing, ichat, and playing music in itunes. I did the firmware update and no change to these problems.
Then there's this...
4) Distorted screen, specifically horizontal green lines, when trying to watch a DVD through FrontRow.
Anyone experience this? I just am curious what to expect before I take the machine in...again (it was treated for RSD).
MacBook   Mac OS X (10.4.6)  

I'm running on battery now.. saving all my work diligently pretty much every minute on the minute... currently 1hr 42mins remaining of battery life - so it says.
This compleatly unnanounced shut-down has happened twice to me now, and it's very disconcerting. This is the only problem I've ever had with my MacBook (bought it August last year) and is annoying as I KNOW it was this 'update' is responsible. I lost about 40 mins of work because of this yesterday and am pretty annoyed about it frankly. My battery seemed fine before hand - I actually was typing away happily on it in the back of a four hour car journey just last week, eeking out the charge by turing the screen right down etc. SURELY if this is known, and is obviously software/firmware created, Apple can offer a similar patch to correct it??
I'm in the UK and a day-trip away from any Apple Store. Do I have to phone Apple and ask for a replacement battery? Is that how it works (like I said - I've never had technical difficulties with my MacBook previously). I searched the site and found this number: 0870 876 0753, I think that's right. What should I have ready on the phone?
REALLY hope this can get sorted soon as I can't really trust the machine at the moment without it being plugged in, making taking it out anywhere (which is why I got it - and loved it) pretty redundant.

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