AM Details Hybrid Sealant Review

AM Details are a professional detailing company in Elgin, Scotland set up by Alan Medcraf. In recent years, Alan and the team have brought out a fantastic range of products.

One that really caught my eye after seeing some videos on YouTube about it is AM Hybrid Sealant. It’s a polymer spray sealant with ceramic coating properties which help it’s longevity.

How To Use AM Hybrid Sealant

AM Hybrid Sealant is hands down one of the easiest products I’ve used in a long time. After making sure that paint has been properly cleaned, decontaminated and dried all it takes is a few sprays onto a microfibre cloth  and then buffing it into the panel right away. After this, all it needs is a follow up with a second microfibre cloth to remove any left over sealant residue.

The good news is that when you buy AM Hybrid Sealant, you get two microfibre cloths to carry out the application process. I like this approach from AM Details since they’ve covered every basis. There are older, more established brands that don’t go to this level of customer service to make sure that you’re good to go right away. As an added bonus, Hybrid Sealant has a pleasant bubblegum smell to it.

As for the microfibre cloths in the kit; they’re really soft so there’s no worry about it causing any damage to the paint work.

I was curious what would happen if the sealant was left on a test panel for a few minutes before attempting to buff it off. It did not feel grabby at all. Having said that, I wouldn’t recommend trying it on your own car as there are a range of different circumstances in which the sealant could be applied in.

When it came to applying it to the car, there wasn’t any protection on the front bumper. As such I wanted to do a comparison between application methods. On one side of the bumper, I applied a few sprays to one of the included cloths and then applied this to the paintwork before buffing it off.

On the other side of the bumper, I sprayed Hybrid Sealant directly to the paint work and then worked it over the bumper with one cloth, and then buffed it off with another. The side that I applied it on with the cloth was in direct sunlight as well. This did not cause any grabbiness or difficulty when moving it around the panel. As with any detailing regimen though, it’s better to do it out with direct, warm sunlight. The fact that this heat didn’t cause any issues is a nice bonus. Your mileage may vary though so be warned that you might not get the same results as I did.

When comparing the two in terms of sheeting and beading the side with Hybrid Sealant applied to a cloth had a slight edge when it came to its hydrophobic properties. I would also say that it is more economical to do it this way. There wasn’t a huge difference in the water behaviour, but it was noticeable. In short, follow the directions that Alan has put on the bottle.

I really do like that it’s extremely quick to “flash” before it is removed. Whilst I enjoy applying a conventional paste wax, there are occasions where I want to add on protection as quickly as possible. This is especially true in the winter. When the temperature does start to plummet, the last thing anyone wants to do is apply a wax, wait for it to set and then have to buff it off. Given that it can take longer in the winter for a wax to set, it’s not a particularly fun thing to have to do.

It really was a breeze to apply and remove Hybrid Sealant. It’s extremely user friendly.

One of the areas I was really curious about testing the AM Hybrid Sealant on was my alloy wheels. On the face of the alloys, I applied AM Hybrid Sealant to a foam applicator pad for ease of use. After this, it was buffed off again quickly. The same method was used for the inner barrel of the wheels as well as behind the spokes on the alloy. Given the heat that is generated from the brakes, I wouldn’t expect the same degree of longevity (more below) on the wheels that I would on the paintwork.  

Of course, I would recommend that you don’t use the same microfibre towels on the wheels that you have on the paint work.  

AM Hybrid Sealant Results

On both the paintwork and the wheels, I was extremely happy with the gloss that was added to surfaces, they really did look great. The hydrophobic properties are amazing as well, especially for a sealant that is wipe on and wipe off. In short, it looks phenomenal.

The surface felt as though it had just been polished so I’m really happy with that!

It’s clear that Alan and the team have spent a lot of time perfecting this formula to make it the best possible sealant it can be.

I had actually applied Hybrid Sealant to the wheels a day prior and had taken the car on a 50 mile trip. There was not any road dirt or brake dust on the alloys. After taking out for another long drive, totaling over 150 miles on the alloys, there was a small amount of dirt on them. Rinsing them off with the hose was enough to remove this dirt. This will prove to be invaluable in the winter when it’s harder to clean them. A video of Hybrid Sealant in action can be found on YouTube.

Longevity of AM Hybrid Sealant

The quoted lifespan of an application is up to 12 months. I had the opportunity to speak to Eoin at AM Details about the longevity of it. He had mentioned that it’s up to 12 months or 15,000 miles on paintwork. What I really found refreshing about his response was his openness about it.

He did say it depends on the conditions that the car is left in and the driving conditions as well. That was also part of the reason of applying Hybrid Sealant to the front bumper. It’s the most exposed area to dirt and debris to it’s a good way to gauge how long it will last.

He’s hit the nail on the head with this in that the driving conditions for me won’t be the same as you reading this. One thing I should also note is how well the car is maintained after applying Hybrid Sealant. As with any other form of paint protection, you can’t apply it and then expect not to clean the car for six months.

With respect to alloy wheels, I’ll update this when I see that the protection starts to fade. It’s also important to note though that the brakes on a Clio won’t generate as much heat as the breaks on an E Class. This heat is going to impact the lifespan of the sealant. However, for how quickly this can be re-applied compared to a paste wax, it’s not a huge issue.

AM Details also have a dedicated shampoo to use with Hybrid Sealant. At the point of writing this review, I haven’t tried it, although it’s something I will look into in the future. I am very much a believer of using the same brand of shampoo as the brand of protection that is on the paintwork since they will complement each other well.

AM Hybrid Sealant is available from Amazon (link below) as well as directly from the AM Details website. If you are in North America, it is also available from Car Supplies Warehouse.

AM Hybrid Sealant - Hybrid Polymer Ceramic (Coating spray) 500ml

• PH 1 to 13 resistance

Buy on Amazon

Last update on 2023-05-29 As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.