I just went out to clean up my car and found the front left weel had these little marks on it- There not eating into the paint- at least I can't feel anything like that, there not raised or bubbled- but they are REALLY difficult to get off of the wheel! I've tried some cutting polish and lime away- any thoughts?? what would leave marks like this that are so hard to clean up?

 

Brake fluid by chance, hope not? Have you tried a bit of mineral spirits on a rag?

 

Yeah looks like brake fluid splash … yikes!

 

Seriously? Not brake fluid as it would not be on the face of the spokes of the wheel.
Probably just something that splashed on while driving. If its not staining or leeching into the paint, then just clean it off with some solvent and roll!

 

Pitting from road debris chipping the finish?

 

I am going to try a few solvents today- there's no pitting, bubbling or etching going on- thought it was probably stains from road tar or something, but it's not coming off like I thought it should. I've started with the least caustic stuff I have and will work up from here. Never seen this before- and it's only on one wheel.

 

If it were tar like, WD40 does a good job removing it.

 

Tried WD40- didn't seem to work, but I took the orbital and some mild cutting cream to it and that did the trick! some tough stuff!!!

 

That's great!
It's hard to keep them up with the nasty stuff found on our roads today! I used to be a heavy concours guy (chairman in some cases) and I kinda gave it up because its so much fun trying them, yet hard to maintain the perfection while doing so!

Enjoy!

 

Left front wheel has me thinking gas splash. If left on the paint long enough, particularly on a refinished wheel, it can have that effect. glad you got it sorted, and keep those wheels waxed.