# Mothers CMX Spray coating and 3 in 1 Polish and Coat



## Sheep (Mar 20, 2009)

Hey Everyone,

Today I ordered a bottom of Mothers CMX 3 in 1 Polish and Coat as I found a good deal through my work (I stumbled on a supplier we use that carries a lot of detailing supplies). During my reading and research, I discovered that CMX Spray Coating seems to have different application instructions than most of the reviewers have been using. Like more traditional coatings, it's supposed to be applied with a dedicated application towel or applicator, allowed to bond for 1-2 minutes, and then removed. Most of the reviews I've seen are using the simple spray and wipe method, with some reporting white powdery residue coming off the car. I have a detail booked tomorrow on a rather large truck, so I'm going to use a Spray protectant for the LSP. This has made me now reach for CMX and try it out. The 3 in 1 hasn't arrived yet (not ETA at the moment), but expect a full review and test with it and CMX.

Something worth noting when you see the "chemical tests" lamenting CMX as not durable, as it seems a lot of people are not using it correctly.


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## atbalfour (Aug 11, 2019)

Sheep said:


> Hey Everyone,
> 
> Today I ordered a bottom of Mothers CMX 3 in 1 Polish and Coat as I found a good deal through my work (I stumbled on a supplier we use that carries a lot of detailing supplies). During my reading and research, I discovered that CMX Spray Coating seems to have different application instructions than most of the reviewers have been using. Like more traditional coatings, it's supposed to be applied with a dedicated application towel or applicator, allowed to bond for 1-2 minutes, and then removed. Most of the reviews I've seen are using the simple spray and wipe method, with some reporting white powdery residue coming off the car. I have a detail booked tomorrow on a rather large truck, so I'm going to use a Spray protectant for the LSP. This has made me now reach for CMX and try it out. The 3 in 1 hasn't arrived yet (not ETA at the moment), but expect a full review and test with it and CMX.
> 
> Something worth noting when you see the "chemical tests" lamenting CMX as not durable, as it seems a lot of people are not using it correctly.


This looks to be a different product to the much reviewed ceramic spray on wipe off which does seem to have extremely poor durability but looks great while on.

I haven't heard the 3 in 1 being talked about as much so I'm interested to hear your results :thumb:


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## Sheep (Mar 20, 2009)

atbalfour said:


> This looks to be a different product to the much reviewed ceramic spray on wipe off which does seem to have extremely poor durability but looks great while on.
> 
> I haven't heard the 3 in 1 being talked about as much so I'm interested to hear your results :thumb:


The one people were applying wrong is the same CMX spray coating, they were just using it wrong. The 3 in 1 is a separate product, it's a polish.


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## Loach (May 23, 2015)

I've done a few tests with CMX Ceramic Spray Coating running different drying times before the wipeoff, and was never able to get decent survival after the Poorboy's Strip Down tests. The last test that I did was a comparison of a 3 minute dry and wipe next to a 45 minute dry and wipe and the results came out the same after agitating Strip Down after a few days of CMX curing. That's using a foam based applicator wax pad to spread and work it into the paint. 

I actually enjoy using CMX, the short term immediate hydrophobics are some of the best you can find over-the-counter where I am in the states. It's relatively easy to work with, gives a nice clean wipeoff for me, gloss looks great. And I don't value chemical resistance as highly as others might, but where CMX falls short is the drop off in hydrophobic performance on the daily driver is the fastest out of all the consumer line of sio2-infused spray protectants: Turtle Wax Seal N Shine (Sealant Hydrophobic Wax), Meguiar's Hybrid Ceramic Wax, Hybrid Solutions Ceramic Spray Coating, and Griot's Ceramic 3-in-1 Wax.

You can still get months of performance out of it, but unless you're topping it off after pretty much every wash, that extreme hydrophobic action just dies off too quickly for what I would like. In 2018, CMX was the one product that I was the most hyped up for as well before its release, so it was a bit of a letdown to see it fading the fastest.

The reality is I still think it's a decent product and don't mind pulling it out every once in a while to get my quick hydrophobic fix in. That's another thing that I like about it, you can rinse this stuff immediately after applying it and it doesn't waste any time showing insane hydrophobics. I always think of it as the poor man's Polish Angel Cosmic Spritz, it's less refined and not as easy to work with, but man if Mothers can reverse engineer Cosmic Spritz and upgrade CMX to behave like that for a lower price, I'd be all over it.


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## roscopervis (Aug 22, 2006)

Are you reading that atbalfour?! Given how well it's holding up in Sheep's real world test, this may be a product to have a go with?


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## Sheep (Mar 20, 2009)

Loach said:


> I've done a few tests with CMX Ceramic Spray Coating running different drying times before the wipeoff, and was never able to get decent survival after the Poorboy's Strip Down tests. The last test that I did was a comparison of a 3 minute dry and wipe next to a 45 minute dry and wipe and the results came out the same after agitating Strip Down after a few days of CMX curing. That's using a foam based applicator wax pad to spread and work it into the paint.
> 
> I actually enjoy using CMX, the short term immediate hydrophobics are some of the best you can find over-the-counter where I am in the states. It's relatively easy to work with, gives a nice clean wipeoff for me, gloss looks great. And I don't value chemical resistance as highly as others might, but where CMX falls short is the drop off in hydrophobic performance on the daily driver is the fastest out of all the consumer line of sio2-infused spray protectants: Turtle Wax Seal N Shine (Sealant Hydrophobic Wax), Meguiar's Hybrid Ceramic Wax, Hybrid Solutions Ceramic Spray Coating, and Griot's Ceramic 3-in-1 Wax.
> 
> ...


It just struck me as odd that all the reviewers were just straight spray and wiping the product and not following the very clearly labelled instructions. I don't get it, how is it that none of these testers (barring you Waxmode and Car Craft Auto Detailing) can read instructions!?!

Have you played with 3 in 1 polish and coat? There isn't only one youtuber out there that has used it but they're videos are not made well enough for me to be convinced.


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## Loach (May 23, 2015)

Sheep said:


> It just struck me as odd that all the reviewers were just straight spray and wiping the product and not following the very clearly labelled instructions. I don't get it, how is it that none of these testers (barring you Waxmode and Car Craft Auto Detailing) can read instructions!?!
> 
> Have you played with 3 in 1 polish and coat? There isn't only one youtuber out there that has used it but they're videos are not made well enough for me to be convinced.


I love Sandro's videos at Car Craft, especially the way he's able to show that filling and darkening effect that the products have on the paint through the camera is absolutely fantastic.

I've got to catch up on some more of your durability videos as well! I haven't picked up any of the other CMX products yet, but I'm definitely interested in trying out CMX Polish & Coat and Surface Prep in the future. I haven't seen much feedback or videos on these yet so I'm looking forward to seeing how you like that Polish & Coat when you get it in.


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## Sheep (Mar 20, 2009)

Loach said:


> I love Sandro's videos at Car Craft, especially the way he's able to show that filling and darkening effect that the products have on the paint through the camera is absolutely fantastic.
> 
> I've got to catch up on some more of your durability videos as well! I haven't picked up any of the other CMX products yet, but I'm definitely interested in trying out CMX Polish & Coat and Surface Prep in the future. I haven't seen much feedback or videos on these yet so I'm looking forward to seeing how you like that Polish & Coat when you get it in.


I should be receiving it in the next week, and I have some test panels coming from a body shop (2 front fenders) so I hope I can start doing more regular testing with products without having to clean my entire car or let it sit in the garage untouched (impossible to do right now).


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## atbalfour (Aug 11, 2019)

roscopervis said:


> Are you reading that atbalfour?! Given how well it's holding up in Sheep's real world test, this may be a product to have a go with?


I've watched a fair bit of testing on this as I'm a huge fan of SiO2 and Ti22 spray products generally and Mothers really hyped it up as a super durable product. For the materials within it's very cheap too.

That said, from what I have seen in these tests I don't think it does anything quite as well as my Cosmic Spritz go to. Particularly (and importantly given how I use it) the diminished performance when applied wet. I hate dry applications and avoid them where I can - I really don't get the slickness/touching the paint thing at all.

Is Cosmic £40 a bottle better, definitely not. I am extra tempted to buy some in the Amazon sale now on...but... I really like the look of Nova Jet and Titan Ultra and I think these are going to be the next I try in that pricey quest for the best


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## roscopervis (Aug 22, 2006)

atbalfour said:


> I've watched a fair bit of testing on this as I'm a huge fan of SiO2 and Ti22 spray products generally and Mothers really hyped it up as a super durable product. For the materials within it's very cheap too.
> 
> That said, from what I have seen in these tests I don't think it does anything quite as well as my Cosmic Spritz go to. Particularly (and importantly given how I use it) the diminished performance when applied wet. I hate dry applications and avoid them where I can - I really don't get the slickness/touching the paint thing at all.
> 
> Is Cosmic £40 a bottle better, definitely not. I am extra tempted to buy some in the Amazon sale now on...but... I really like the look of Nova Jet and Titan Ultra and I think these are going to be the next I try in that pricey quest for the best


The Nova stuff does look pretty good from a performance perspective, I would be very interested seeing those in a side be side with our known products.

Sent from my Redmi Note 8 Pro using Tapatalk


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## atbalfour (Aug 11, 2019)

roscopervis said:


> The Nova stuff does look pretty good from a performance perspective, I would be very interested seeing those in a side be side with our known products.
> 
> Sent from my Redmi Note 8 Pro using Tapatalk


Was messaging them on Facebook a few days ago. There are no short term plans to get a distributor in Europe or UK due to Covid impacts. Its their longer term intention though.

I really like their 3 LSP spray type products, how they clearly do different things. It's great to see a company not settle for one product that does everything 'well' but have dedicated products designed to do specific things at a class leading level, yet play well when layered.

I love the branding and packaging too, up a notch from a lot of brands with the exception of Kamikaze maybe.


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## Brian1612 (Apr 5, 2015)

@abalfour 

Frustrating as I really want to get my hands on the Nova products. Had a look at getting them shipped to the UK but cost is £30‐£40 minimum making it unfeasible.

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## atbalfour (Aug 11, 2019)

Brian1612 said:


> @abalfour
> 
> Frustrating as I really want to get my hands on the Nova products. Had a look at getting them shipped to the UK but cost is £30‐£40 minimum making it unfeasible.
> 
> Sent from my SM-G975F using Tapatalk


@Brian1612 I've messaged parks car care their distributors in the US - if they get stock of the items we want more than happy to coordinate an order if a few of us want stuff. Will make the delivery costs more paletable hopefully.


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## Brian1612 (Apr 5, 2015)

@abalfour 

I would be interested in that.

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## atbalfour (Aug 11, 2019)

They've come back to me and do post to the UK. They are expecting stock of the NV stuff before the third week in August, but they are already subsidising the delivery and can't apply any discounts, though they say there is likely to be an across the board sale in the fall.

When you think about the $22.80 shipping charge, that's £17.39 and then we'd be dividing that at least in 2. I could get it delivered to me and then post onwards. Will start a new thread (with mod permission) closer to the time in case we have any other interested parties, though I might limit it as co-ordination wouldn't be my favourite thing 

Sorry to Sheep for temporarily knocking this thread off topic.


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## Sheep (Mar 20, 2009)

atbalfour said:


> They've come back to me and do post to the UK. They are expecting stock of the NV stuff before the third week in August, but they are already subsidising the delivery and can't apply any discounts, though they say there is likely to be an across the board sale in the fall.
> 
> When you think about the $22.80 shipping charge, that's £17.39 and then we'd be dividing that at least in 2. I could get it delivered to me and then post onwards. Will start a new thread (with mod permission) closer to the time in case we have any other interested parties, though I might limit it as co-ordination wouldn't be my favourite thing
> 
> Sorry to Sheep for temporarily knocking this thread off topic.


No worries, I would like to get my hands on NV stuff as well, but not at the costs it would be for myself. I'm considering picking up the Turtle Wax Polish and Wax from the Hybrid Ceramic line to compare with CMX Polish and Coat.


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## Sheep (Mar 20, 2009)

It had arrived! Going to play with it possibly tonight or tomorrow morning before work. Hopefully I can get my test panels soon too.

Untitled by brianjosephson1, on Flickr

Untitled by brianjosephson1, on Flickr


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## atbalfour (Aug 11, 2019)

Sheep said:


> It had arrived! Going to play with it possibly tonight or tomorrow morning before work. Hopefully I can get my test panels soon too.
> 
> Untitled by brianjosephson1, on Flickr
> 
> Untitled by brianjosephson1, on Flickr


Very interesting to see how much durability this adds to the CMX spray coating when used as a primer.


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## Sheep (Mar 20, 2009)

atbalfour said:


> Very interesting to see how much durability this adds to the CMX spray coating when used as a primer.


I'm curious to see how it plays with other ceramic products. Might throw Cquartz Lite and C0V2 on it one day and see if it plays nice.


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## Sheep (Mar 20, 2009)

Ok, decided to test out Polish and Coat on the hood, split down the middle against SRP. I topped PnC with CMX, and SRP with AGHD. This is a fairly good comparison as they're sold side by side in the stores here (PnC isn't in stock yet but it will be). Mind you, AG HD (UHD now) is more expensive than CMX, PnC retails for around $21 Canadian which is slightly more than SRP, which means CMX and PnC could be a liter cost option, and comparable to Turtle Wax CSC and Polish and Wax. I guess I need to order a few more bottles and start testing again.

Anyway, on to some photos of PnC in use. No beading or sheeting stuff yet, cars going to cure over night.

Untitled by brianjosephson1, on Flickr

Untitled by brianjosephson1, on Flickr

Untitled by brianjosephson1, on Flickr

Untitled by brianjosephson1, on Flickr

Video showing slickness of PnC after buffing off.
Untitled by brianjosephson1, on Flickr

SRP for comparison (equal).
Untitled by brianjosephson1, on Flickr

And FIN. I'll update this thread in a day or 2 once I can get some water on the hood. Supposed to rain tomorrow so hopefully it'll see some action.

Untitled by brianjosephson1, on Flickr


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## Sheep (Mar 20, 2009)

OK I have some photos and video of the water behavior, as well as an interesting shot of the gloss/change these products had on the paint.

Below you'll see the taped off control section in the middle of the hood, and then 2 brighter, lighter sections on either side. It appears, at least from this angle, that Both SRP and PnC made the paint brighter (both topped with their respective products).
Untitled by brianjosephson1, on Flickr

Moving on, below are the beads for each section after rain came through. Note the car was driven and the hood was not clean.

PnC topped with CMX
Untitled by brianjosephson1, on Flickr

SRP topped with AGHD.
Untitled by brianjosephson1, on Flickr

Whole hood showing both sides and control.
Untitled by brianjosephson1, on Flickr

When I was putting the cars back in the garage for the night, I decided to break out the hose with the mist setting to see what kind of contact angles we could get.

PnC with CMX
Untitled by brianjosephson1, on Flickr

SRP with AGHD
Untitled by brianjosephson1, on Flickr

Both could produce proper beads with very faster sheeting. Below is a video showing both sides using the mist setting.

Untitled by brianjosephson1, on Flickr

That's all for tonight. We'll see how they both hold up in a few weeks time.


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