radmanly, I would say that running a D/A at speed 6 with enough downward pressure to almost bog the machine is pretty darn extreme and I don't know of ANY company that recommends proceeding this way. The heat you developed, enough to steam a quick detailer off the surface, is pretty extreme and I would caution you against using this process in the future.

I'd love to see the microscratches you're talking about - can you describe them in more detail? Are they throughout the paint or are they very random? There is every possibility that an aggressive approach with even a medium cutting pad could be inflicting some marring to the surface, regardless of which chemical you're using. You might want to try more of a finishing polish with a less aggressive pad and less pressure/speed than you've been using.