27th Dec 2009, 15:40

I have a 95 J30.

This car is a service nightmare. I knew it when I bought this car. Wife insisted! Changing the oil filter on ramps was down right scary. Won't do it again.

Very quirky car. Sucks gas! Impossible to service for backyard mechanics.

People talk about bad struts. Be sure you're fixing the right thing. I had noise upfront; was repaired. I believe it was tie rod ends. Looked like liquid motor mounts.

I hit a big dip in the road at 45 miles per hour, I was impressed it did not bottom out! Better than my old Lexus! It has 140k.

Timing belt $900.

Door actuator $450.

Repaired Bose speaker myself. These speakers are 1 and a half ohms. Not compatible with anything else!

Trunk will only work with the key. If the gas tank release breaks, I'm pretty much screwed!

Cannot find spark plugs or anything on this car.

A reminder - get your transmission oil changed. Seems no one does this. Need a lift to get to drain plug. This is why these transmissions fail. I would not recommend to buy this car, unless you are good friends with an Infiniti mechanic. Even the mechanics hate this car!

For all of the good things this car can do well, it is a money pit!I would not recommend this car to anyone! It is quirky and oddball problems continue.

Now I have intermittent check light. I own 2 Toyota Camrys with the 2.2 four cylinder engine. It is a pleasure to work on, and I can fix anything on it. Good luck to Infiniti owners, you will need it!

11th Jan 2010, 18:20

Ll true, true and true. Yet still despite all of the above, I get the IT feeling when I sit in this thing and start moving it from here to there. It feels comforting and I have never seriously felt it was not going to get me to where I was headed, no matter how much I have ignored its needs or feelings.

I've driven other brands that have gotten me from here to there of course, mostly Fords, but none with the sense of safety that I get when tooling around town in the J30. For all of the faults you can point to in this car, you can never convince me that it will turn into a mobile Weber grill the way that my old Aerostar did back in '95.

So, kudos to the people at Nissan who engineered this internal combustion marvel way back when. May their descendants think of something to make that will be as good it its fashion as the J30 is. I'll get back to driving mine later today. I'm shooting to get 229,000 miles on it over the next year or two. When that happens, it will have earned new spark plugs.

22nd Feb 2010, 20:16

I've had most of the same problems as described. My parents gave me this car, it's a 1995 Infinti J30 with 209,000 miles on it.

The back window doesn't roll down, the sunroof doesn't work, the leather is faded, and sometimes it has trouble starting. It used to squeal when it started but now it doesn't. The driver side door is just very squeaky.

My friend has an I30 that has about 260,000 miles on it. Any suggestions on how to make it last another 50,000 miles, and what new Nissan or Infiniti to buy when the time comes?

28th May 2010, 17:53

The J-30 screams performance; it screams high maintenance costs and nightmares when trying to replace most anything yourself. Forget the timing belt until it quits as it will not jump time.

Change the transmission fluid if necessary, but ease into transition for high gears.

Struts are a pain in any vehicle, but what you must remember is the age of your vehicle, and your concern should be making it last under normal wear and tear, not gunning it around town.

The Bose is a great stereo that will fail all too soon.

Many foreign brands have electrical problems including our Lexus, a fantastic car. A vehicle over 10 years old is now an expensive 10 year old vehicle to maintain. So common!

16th Jul 2010, 02:13

Hello J30 fans! I couldn't believe my eyes when I stumbled upon this website and found out how common these problems really are with the J30.

1. Bose radio turn off: Need a new one

2. Dash lights turn off: Need light dimmer

3. Rear window stops working: Need motor

4. Moonroof stops working: Need motor

5. Antenna stops working: No idea

6. Moonroof leaks: Needs lining

7. Timing belt needs to be replaced: Loud noise

8. Head lights turn off; no idea

9. Fuel injector needs replacement: prevents shaking

If this has not occurred yet, believe me it will since the car is possessed, jk.

However, I still love my J30 @ 148,000 miles going strong. It has excellent acceleration and luxurious indeed. Even though it needs repair just like any other car, it far exceeds my expectation from a 1993 that drives like an 2008.

Don't be upset because of some minor repairs, be glad it's not an engine problem that will cost you an arm and a leg. Keep in mind most cars that are a 1994 are not likely running at all! Hope that helps folks.

25th Sep 2010, 09:55

I have to agree with those who love their J's. My wife insisted on getting a 93 J30T back in 2001 with 80K on it, mainly for the styling. Little did we know we were going to get such a reliable car.

At that time a belt tensioner was bad so we had it at the shop. A mishap occurred, so the shop had to rebuild the head at their cost ($1500) back then (Never let anyone start taking apart the engine with the battery connected!). While they were at it, I had them replace the water pump, all the hoses etc. We don't put many miles on it, it is up to 134k now, but we have (knock on wood) just changed the oil from time to time, and put a new battery in now and then. I know it is way overdue for a transmission flush, the HICAS and ABS lights are on, but it is such a good car. Every once in a while, the doors lock on me, but I always make sure to have the key in my hand. It probably could use a tuneup, since it just barely passed emissions.

As to the question of which Infiniti to buy now, my son is pretty sold on the G35 or G37. If you live up north, it does come with all wheel drive, which would probably help in snow/rain, but I would ask around. They have upsized the G so it is now a decent sized car.

Somewhere along the line, I will have to replace/repair the stereo, replace the headlight relay etc, but thank goodness it gets me where I want to go.

16th Oct 2010, 17:47

1993 J-30. A light golden green with cream interior. Just turned 90K. Bought in 99 from a dealer. A/C went up soon after, and was replaced under warranty.

Sunroof leaking. I pulled the motor assembly out of the compartment, and discovered the water was coming in through the roof driver gear chamber. Water welling up in channels, then leaking in. Thanks to the person who suggested clogged drains. Never knew they existed. I do have that small gap in the rear center part of the roof seal. Up until now my roof needed help to open and close. However when I dropped the motor assembly from the roof, I saw that the roof driver gear blades were caked with muck. I cleaned the gear and the roof moves freely. I am hoping if I have clogged drains, that I might get off easy. Will be back at it tomorrow.

Most expensive repairs have been exhaust. 2 cat converters at once $1,800 and struts. Still OK with no car payments for 11 years.