2009-2021 Nissan GT-R (R35) VR38DETT oil and filter change

Idle the engine for three to five minutes if starting cold, or complete a short drive and return with the engine at operating temperature. The VR38DETT holds oil in tight cooler passages and cold oil drains at a fraction of the rate of warm oil. Do not let the engine reach full track-day operating temperature before draining; oil in the 250 F range at the drain is hot enough to cause burns even through nitrile gloves.

The R35 sits low; a two-post or drive-on lift is preferred. If using jack stands, the OEM jack points are the reinforced sill locations marked with an arrow on the underbody. Chock the rear wheels and confirm the parking brake is off before lifting the rear (which is common for GT-R jacking sequence).

The front undertray retains with roughly a dozen 10mm bolts and several plastic trim clips around its perimeter. Undertray removal is required for access to both the drain plug and the filter. Set the tray flat, face down, to avoid scratching the diffuser vanes on higher trims.

Position the drain pan directly under the drain plug on the rear-passenger corner of the aluminum oil pan. Break the 14mm drain plug loose with a ratchet, then finish by hand while pressing inward. Once the threads release, pull the plug straight away. Let the oil drain for at least ten minutes. Wipe the drain boss clean, fit a new crush washer, and reinstall the plug. Torque the VR38DETT drain plug to 25 ft lbs (34 Nm). Verify against your service manual. Do not reuse the crush washer; a re-crushed washer is the most common source of a slow oil pan drip on the R35.

The filter mounts vertically on the front of the engine block, on the driver side, pointing down. Slide the drain pan to catch drips from the filter. Fit the filter wrench and break the canister loose. Once free, spin off by hand. Catch the residual oil and set the old filter cartridge upright in the drain pan. Wipe the mounting flange on the block clean. Confirm the old filter gasket is not stuck to the flange; a double-gasketed filter leaks catastrophically on the first hot start.

Smear a thin film of fresh oil around the new filter's rubber gasket. Thread the filter on by hand until the gasket first contacts the block, then continue for three quarters of a turn. Torque the R35 oil filter to 12 ft lbs (17 Nm). Verify against your service manual. On the OEM Nissan filter, the wrench-flat is designed for the OEM tool; hand-tight plus three quarters is the safe method with any generic wrench.

Remove the oil fill cap on the driver-side valve cover. Pour in 5.4 US quarts (5.1 liters) of the chosen oil through a long-neck funnel. Reinstall the fill cap. Start the engine and confirm the oil pressure gauge on the dash reads normal within three seconds; the R35 lights the pressure warning if oil pressure fails to build. Let the engine idle for two minutes, then shut down.

Wait five minutes for oil to settle back into the pan. Check the dipstick. The level should read between the upper hash and the mid-hash on a hot check; the R35 dipstick is calibrated for a hot reading, not the cold reading common on other cars.

Refit the front undertray with its 10mm bolts and clips. Torque the undertray bolts to 62 in lbs (7 Nm). Verify against your service manual. Lower the vehicle.

The R35 does not use a percentage-based oil life monitor, but the multi-function display tracks a fixed mileage interval that can be manually reset through the vehicle settings menu.