[champignon]

There's at least one other thread that touches on this topic, but the title of the thread (something like "got my gift from BMW") is such that a lot of people won't click on it or realize what it is really about. Some people after buying an M2 have received a box with a car-shaped USB key, plus or minus a card offering a "free day of driving school." More recently, apparently, an email has been sent out to some buyers with the same offering of a "free day of driving school." There are basically 4 "driving school" options:

(1) One day of regular driving school, which is accident avoidance and anti-distraction training on regular series BMW cars, although I believe they are the more performance-oriented versions. All cars to be driven are automatics; you get a "free lunch" during the day, but no lodging or transportation.

(2) Two days of regular driving school, like the above however with an extra day of practice; the second day costs extra, I forget the exact amount however it is not hugely expensive; you may get another lunch but there is no lodging or transportation provided.

(3) One day of "M" driving school, which instead is high performance driving training, the sort of thing that could be useful to you on a race track in the future. I was told that there is little to nothing taught in this class that would be applicable to normal driving on public roads. The cars used are all M-Cars, but again, all are automatic M-Cars, and there are no manual transmission cars to drive; this costs around $700 extra when the credit from the "free day of regular driving school" is applied. No lodging or transportation is provided.

(4) Two days of "M" driving school, which is like the 1 day M school however gives an extra day of driving practice on performance training. This is a more inclusive package and includes 2 nights of lodging and I believe most or all meals. It costs ~$4,000 USD once the credit from the "free day of regular driving school" is applied.

The ladies/representatives I spoke to from the Performance Center said that not everyone gets the offer of the free day of driving school, however the offer is not specific to M-Car buyers, rather it has to do with how many BMWs you have purchased or that you own. As a result I think you can assume that regular driving school classes will be populated with a mixture of regular BMW car owners, and M-Car owners, likely skewed towards the regular car owners. The M-Car school is probably going to attract a much higher percentage of M-car owners, but might also be a mixture.

Once you have purchased your BMW and if you are offered the free day of driving school, you will have to call the Performance Center number (866-744-4269) and they will need to validate your offer. They will need the last 7 of your VIN, and your name and phone #, etc. They will then call you back in a few days and presumably tell you that your offer has been validated, and discuss dates when your preferred class type is going to be offered at your desired location. You will not be able to sign up online and apply your credit/discount; you need to call them and then the representative on the phone will be able to apply your discount or credit.

I haven't booked any classes yet. I came away from the call with the impression that the 1 day regular school is probably what I will do if I do anything. The reason for me is that I do not track cars, have no intention to do so, and the ladies I spoke with were quite adamant that there was close to nothing from the M-training that would be useful in normal driving situations on public roads, even in accident-avoidance situations. Further, they said that the regular driver training courses are nothing like the "driver's ed" classes we all took in High School, and that they were at a much higher level. In addition, I personally find the absence of any option for training in a manual transmission car to be off-putting, so if I am going to do some sort of training in an automatic car, I would prefer that it be lower-cost or "free."

Others have actually taken one or another of these above courses and I believe I have read at least one report of the training they took, and anyone with actual experience is invited to respond in this thread and to give their observations and opinions on what actually transpired when they took the course(s), which may be of use to others.

I have family in San Diego whom I visit regularly, and the S. California location is about 2.5 hours drive away; if I do take a course then I will try to combine it with a family visit, which won't take all that much time nor cost very much money for the detour. Feeling the way that I do, as above, however, if I needed to get on an airplane and fly several hours and then dump a bunch of cash in order to do the "free one day driver school," then I likely would pass on the offer altogether.

I have no idea how any of these driving and M-driving school options compare with commercial offerings from independent driver training and race training schools, both as regards the quality of the schooling, and the pricing and relative value for money. Certainly, if you are intent on doing some driver training, and if the BMW training locations are not convenient to you, then you should look at other options closer to where you live before jumping at this offer, which is not so generous as be worth any sort of big and expensive trip.

[Space gray]

I took the 2-day M school. I would disagree with: "close to nothing from the M-training that would be useful in normal driving situations on public roads, even in accident-avoidance situations". The skid pad exercise is very difficult to do outside of these kinds of schools and this will help you understand and practice how to handle your car when there's very low friction. Plenty of things I found useful, but I see they hedged their statement by saying "close to nothing" rather than "nothing".
Maybe you should try going to one of the BMW CCA car control clinics first, before you decide to sign up for any of the classes, to give you a better idea of what you'd like to learn or practice.

[ShelJW]

My wife and I gave out two teen kids a day (8 hours) of Teen Driving School at BMW's Thermal track, in California. If you were to visit your relatives, this is the track you'd be going to.

For them, it was a total blast, and they also came away with excellent tips in the proper way to drive on the street, from the classroom study, as well as being able to practice getting out of a skid! The instructors during part of the course wet the track, and with my kids in an M3 and the instructor on a walkie talkie communicating with them, had them drive as fast as possible, and then, at a precise moment, slam the brakes!

The instructors had given them instructions on how to get out of a slide, and allowed them to practice the method several times.

It was not inexpensive, but it was one of the best days all of us had had in years, and I'm certain my kids left Thermal better drivers then when we arrived!

(My wife and I took a two hour class, which I would describe as an enhanced test drive! We were able to test drive five different vehicles on the track, while the instructor was giving us instructions via a walkie talkie.... Unfortunately, this was the only class available for adults that day, and we had gone out there specifically for our kids)

We plan to return, to take the M Drivers course!

Check out the expression on my kids faces when they exit the car, at the end of the video below!

[champignon]

Originally Posted by ShelJW

My wife and I gave out two teen kids a day (8 hours) of Teen Driving School at BMW's Thermal track, in California. If you were to visit your relatives, this is the track you'd be going to.

For them, it was a total blast, and they also came away with excellent tips in the proper way to drive on the street, from the classroom study, as well as being able to practice getting out of a skid! The instructors during part of the course wet the track, and with my kids in an M3 and the instructor on a walkie talkie communicating with them, had them drive as fast as possible, and then, at a precise moment, slam the brakes!

The instructors had given them instructions on how to get out of a slide, and allowed them to practice the method several times.

It was not inexpensive, but it was one of the best days all of us had had in years, and I'm certain my kids left Thermal better drivers then when we arrived!

(My wife and I took a two hour class, which I would describe as an enhanced test drive! We were able to test drive five different vehicles on the track, while the instructor was giving us instructions via a walkie talkie.... Unfortunately, this was the only class available for adults that day, and we had gone out there specifically for our kids)

We plan to return, to take the M Drivers course!

Check out the expression on my kids faces when they exit the car, at the end of the video below!

Nice video; glad they enjoyed it as much as they did.

There's an unlimited number of things that I could do that would give me the same sort of rush as they experienced, including paragliding as a passenger, taking a parachuting course, riding certain extreme roller coasters, going stunt flying with an instructor, putting on a body wing suit and trying to use it, etc. etc. etc.

In my real life I do enough active sports, including such things as alpine skiing, that my need for a controlled rush is maybe not as great as it might be for some other people. So I've been approaching this from the standpoint of it's (the driving school's) usefulness in the context of someone who drives on public roads but often times in the middle of nowhere and sometimes makes high speed passes on 2 lane roads, enjoys accelerating into curves, etc. Plus I just like driving powerful small stick shift cars, which is why I own a bunch of them :-)

As someone who does not like to pass up a deal, I'd certainly like to assess which of these free or discounted price offers, if any, makes the most sense for me.

[champignon]

Originally Posted by Space gray

I took the 2-day M school. I would disagree with: "close to nothing from the M-training that would be useful in normal driving situations on public roads, even in accident-avoidance situations". The skid pad exercise is very difficult to do outside of these kinds of schools and this will help you understand and practice how to handle your car when there's very low friction. Plenty of things I found useful, but I see they hedged their statement by saying "close to nothing" rather than "nothing".
Maybe you should try going to one of the BMW CCA car control clinics first, before you decide to sign up for any of the classes, to give you a better idea of what you'd like to learn or practice.

Move somewhere that has a real winter, and you will get some firsthand and recurring experience with handling a car when there is low friction

[Tralfaz]

I did the upgrade to the one day M school recently and have not taken the non-M class so I can only base things on the description for it. My "guess" is that the classes do many of the same things and the difference is in mainly in the cars you use. I always imagined that the extra money was primarily to cover the use of more expensive cars. I'm not sure if the non-M school would cover how to do turns while maintaining as much speed as possible.

All of that said, I don't know what they use in the non-M school. Were I to guess, I would imagine they use 230's, 330's and 430's. If that's the case, the main advantage to signing up for the one day M school would be to drive a car that is similar to what you own.

I did a track event my dealership had with 330's and 328's and braking on them was a bit different and handling was different. Not so different that you wouldn't still be able to apply anything you were able to experience in the class. I posted an in-depth description of the M school, but looking at the driving school description, the experience are very similar. Just replace the term "panic braking" with "hard braking" and "lane change" with "slalom".

If you do just want to experience out of control situations in a car you don't have to worry about, though, I would imagine the driving school they offer will still be a lot of fun.

[champignon]

Originally Posted by Tralfaz

I did the upgrade to the one day M school recently and have not taken the non-M class so I can only base things on the description for it. My "guess" is that the classes do many of the same things and the difference is in mainly in the cars you use. I always imagined that the extra money was primarily to cover the use of more expensive cars. I'm not sure if the non-M school would cover how to do turns while maintaining as much speed as possible.

All of that said, I don't know what they use in the non-M school. Were I to guess, I would imagine they use 230's, 330's and 430's. If that's the case, the main advantage to signing up for the one day M school would be to drive a car that is similar to what you own.

I did a track event my dealership had with 330's and 328's and braking on them was a bit different and handling was different. Not so different that you wouldn't still be able to apply anything you were able to experience in the class. I posted an in-depth description of the M school, but looking at the driving school description, the experience are very similar. Just replace the term "panic braking" with "hard braking" and "lane change" with "slalom".

If you do just want to experience out of control situations in a car you don't have to worry about, though, I would imagine the driving school they offer will still be a lot of fun.

I think your analysis is pretty much spot on. And having test driven an M235i, and having had quite a few non-M loaner cars from the dealership (including a 230i, several 3-Series, X's of every imaginable type, and even a 5xx), I can say that I don't much enjoy driving any of the non-M cars. This would certainly "color" my enjoyment of the regular class.

I'm leaning towards taking the class you took, 1 day M, assuming I can find a date that works with a family visit that I can plan over the next 8 or 9 months. Two days would be even more "fun," however I think I'll spend the extra ~$3300 on some cases of nice red Burgundy :-)

Thanks.

[dio]

I did the two day non-M driving school in Thermal in February. We did the exercises on automatic M240i's and 340's. I'm not an aspiring track driver, so for my skill level I found them more than adequate. I also believe that most of the exercises helped me to become a better driver. In the afternoon of the second day we had an opportunity to drive the entire M line on the track. It was an incredible blast. I'm planning to go again next year.

However, this was by far the most expensive two-day course I've ever taken: I got instantly hooked on the M2, so upon returning home I traded in my 2017 M240i for a 2018 M2...

[champignon]

I ended up booking the 1 day M School in February in Thermal, CA. I'll be combining it with a family visit in S. California. The $3300 I saved from not doing the 2 day school is in the process of being "invested" in red Burgundies :-)

[htc2000]

I'm also deciding which class to book. I have vouchers for the M drivers pkg ($1550 value) and the regular 1 day school ($849 value) but am thinking of upgrading to the 2 day M school. Or switching the M drivers to 1 day M school.

Any suggestions? This will be at Thermal, CA. Thanks!

[chief1richard]

Originally Posted by htc2000

I'm also deciding which class to book. I have vouchers for the M drivers pkg ($1550 value) and the regular 1 day school ($849 value) but am thinking of upgrading to the 2 day M school. Or switching the M drivers to 1 day M school.

Any suggestions? This will be at Thermal, CA. Thanks!

What is the difference between M drivers, and 1 day M school? I have the one day car control school, but am planning on upgrading to the 1 day M School for $700. I would do the 2 day, but can't justify $3300 for an extra day. Don't understand why an extra day cost so much more, usually it cost less when you buy more of something.

[champignon]

Originally Posted by chief1richard

What is the difference between M drivers, and 1 day M school? I have the one day car control school, but am planning on upgrading to the 1 day M School for $700. I would do the 2 day, but can't justify $3300 for an extra day. Don't understand why an extra day cost so much more, usually it cost less when you buy more of something.

Not justifying this price, but I think that the 2 day school is an all inclusive package, including at least a couple of nights in a hotel, additional meals, etc.

[htc2000]

Originally Posted by chief1richard

What is the difference between M drivers, and 1 day M school? I have the one day car control school, but am planning on upgrading to the 1 day M School for $700. I would do the 2 day, but can't justify $3300 for an extra day. Don't understand why an extra day cost so much more, usually it cost less when you buy more of something.

Another member posted that for the 1 day M you drive solo where as the others you share.

[Tralfaz]

Originally Posted by champignon

Not justifying this price, but I think that the 2 day school is an all inclusive package, including at least a couple of nights in a hotel, additional meals, etc.

The 1 day M school I signed up for included 2 nights lodging at a nearby Marriott. There's been some debate over why one gets that, though. Some have said their voucher stated you get the hotel stay as a thank you for using BMW financing for the car. My voucher didn't say that, but when I called to book the class the person I booked it with said the hotel was included. A number of other people at the class I attended also said their hotel stay was covered.

I'm guessing the extra money for the 2 day school is that you'll spend more time in the cars on the 2nd day since they already covered the meet and greet and "classroom" time on the 1st day. Plus I imagine driving on the 2nd day will generally be more aggressive so more wear and tear on the cars.

[chief1richard]

Originally Posted by champignon

Not justifying this price, but I think that the 2 day school is an all inclusive package, including at least a couple of nights in a hotel, additional meals, etc.

My one day driving skills class includes 2 nights free stay at hotel. The upgrade to one day of M class is $700 additional. Upgrade to 2 Days of M class is $3300 more. I think I'll take the one day. I could buy 10 Tack Days with that money.

[champignon]

Different people are getting different offers, it appears. I was offered the free one day regular school, or an upgrade to two days regular school, or the 1 day or 2 day M schools. I wasn't offered any "free nights" in a hotel, other than that the people I spoke with said that the 2 day M School included hotel and at least some additional meals. They wouldn't even recommend a particular hotel and had no offer of a better rate or anything else at any of the hotels in the area.

From what I can tell, basically all of the hotels are located 10-15 miles away; of course there are hotels further out, but these would be the ones that make sense.

[Tralfaz]

Originally Posted by champignon

Different people are getting different offers, it appears. I was offered the free one day regular school, or an upgrade to two days regular school, or the 1 day or 2 day M schools. I wasn't offered any "free nights" in a hotel, other than that the people I spoke with said that the 2 day M School included hotel and at least some additional meals. They wouldn't even recommend a particular hotel and had no offer of a better rate or anything else at any of the hotels in the area.

From what I can tell, basically all of the hotels are located 10-15 miles away; of course there are hotels further out, but these would be the ones that make sense.

I imagine part of it has to do with Greer vs Thermal. With the factory and Zentrum in Greer they likely have a high volume deal with the hotel whereas in Thermal it's just a performance center using time on the Thermal Club track so not really a high weekly volume of guests running through there. I also imagine a hotel in Greer is cheaper than one in Palm Springs.

[Mdkcrf250r]

I have my one day of regular driving school scheduled for Monday June 25th. I’m a track junkie but I didn’t want to spend extra on the M school so I just stuck with the regular one. Hope I’m not disappointed. I’ll report back.

[champignon]

I had to reschedule my 1 day M class for mid-December, at Thermal. In researching the hotels, and the route I'll be taking back and forth between Thermal and San Diego, it made more sense for me to stay further out, so I'll be spending a couple of nights close to Palm Springs. There is also a much larger selection of restaurants closer to Palm Springs, and depending on where you stay, a lot of them are within walking distance.

At least for the time I looked, there were decent hotels available for around $110/night, and even for less. The high season in this area (Palm Springs, Indio, Palm Desert, etc.) are weekends and holidays during the late fall through early spring. If you are staying over a weekend, you can expect to pay more, perhaps a lot more, so take this into consideration when booking your BMW class.

As to airports, you can certainly fly into Palm Springs, which I didn't even research, but the choice of nonstop flights will be very limited. Most of the major Southern California Airports are going to be 2-3 hours drive away. I would probably avoid LAX and Burbank due to traffic congestion. Joshua Tree National Park is not all that far away from Thermal, if you are looking for a nice little side trip to add on to your driving course trip. There is an entrance closer to Palm Springs, and another one near the military base in 29 Palms, so a loop trip could be planned. The area around 29 Palms at least used to be pretty dismal when it comes to hotel and restaurant choices, so Palm Springs may be a better choice for those considering such a side trip.

[Tralfaz]

Originally Posted by champignon

As to airports, you can certainly fly into Palm Springs, which I didn't even research, but the choice of nonstop flights will be very limited. Most of the major Southern California Airports are going to be 2-3 hours drive away. I would probably avoid LAX and Burbank due to traffic congestion.

I've flown in to Ontario International a couple of times to visit family in Riverside. Not a "major" airport so flights can cost a bit more, but avoids going through downtown traffic.

[champignon]

Originally Posted by Tralfaz

I've flown in to Ontario International a couple of times to visit family in Riverside. Not a "major" airport so flights can cost a bit more, but avoids going through downtown traffic.

There's no reliable way to avoid the traffic in LA, so I'd definitely avoid flying into LAX, Burbank, and probably also Long Beach. San Diego, which I visit about 8 times a year to visit family, still has confined rush hours, and as long as you don't fly in there at 3 or 4 pm on a weekday, with the intention of driving to Palm Springs or Thermal, you won't have a problem. The traffic moves well otherwise. There can be a little bit of slowing going north through Balboa Park, but that's a 5 minute merging-in issue, if that.

Ontario Airport is considerably closer to Palm Springs and Thermal, than is San Diego, though.

[TProfit]

Wow really good info. I just bought a 1 day M driving course in Thermal for my birthday in August. Going to make it a few days trip, fly out late wed and return late sunday. Would love to get to see LA and San Diego while I'm there. Any recommendations on where to fly into, hotels etc. Any help is much appreciated. 1st time to this area.