It really depends on the paint you are working on and what you are trying to achieve. Also, I highly recommend you do a test spot to see how your chosen pad/compound/technique will work. You may have to use more section passes than what the general rule of thumb suggests for paintwork that is really thrashed.
When I am aiming for full correction (95% or better), as my first step, I like to work with my da with a yellow or orange ccs on speed 5 for about 5 passes moving very slowly. For the first 4 passes I use very firm pressure over the pad and then ease back to moderate pressure on the last pass. Do a google search for the "kevin brown method" and you will see what I am talking about. There is other stuff too like correctly priming your pad, how much product to use, etc.
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