BMW Performance Center West — Attraction in Coachella

I recently had a frustrating experience with the BMW Performance Center, and I feel compelled to share it to help others who might be considering booking with them.

First, good luck trying to reach someone on the phone within 30 minutes! Each time I called, I encountered an automated system that presented me with three options:

Leave your number: If you choose this option, they promise to call you back within 24 hours. Are you kidding me? I left my number twice, and guess what? No one ever called me back. This lack of follow-up is simply ridiculous and incredibly disappointing.

Continue waiting on the line: While this option does eventually get you through, I was met with a constant stream of messages stating that all representatives were busy assisting other customers and to expect a longer-than-usual wait time. This wouldn’t be so bad, but I called at 7 AM, right when they literally just opened. You want me to believe they had an overwhelming number of calls about their events at that hour? It’s hard to take that seriously.

Email their support email: This option might work for some, but prepare to wait until the next day to receive a response. It's frustrating to have to resort to email when urgent matters arise.

My troubles didn’t end with the call center. I also had a terrible experience with a cancellation and refund process at the BMW Performance Center. From my experience, my advice is: do not book and pay unless you are absolutely sure! They charge your card immediately but only start processing refunds 10 or more days later. This isn't due to waiting on other parties like credit card companies; it’s just their internal process. They won’t even touch your refund request until the 10 days have passed.

In my situation, my refund wasn't processed until 12 business days after I initiated it. To make matters worse, my credit card company then took an additional 5 days to reflect the refund in my account. So, in total, it took about 3 to 4 weeks to get my money back, which is utterly frustrating!

Having gone through this entire ordeal, my final verdict is clear: only book if you’re very sure about your decision. The refund process is no fun at all and can be a huge hassle.

Additionally, BMW Performance Center, it’s 2024—please enhance your online processing system! Booking and handling promo codes should not be restricted to phone calls. It’s time for a company like BMW to modernize its approach to customer service and streamline...

I recently attended a full-day program at the BMW Performance Center West in Thermal, CA. The cars, track, and curriculum were excellent, and I want to start by recognizing Chris Hill and Dave McMillan and the other individual with glasses, were all absolutely outstanding instructors.

Chris and the other guy ran our time-trial session and Dave led the first run on the skid pad—both were constructive, patient, and encouraging. They created a perfect mix of fun and skill-building and truly represented BMW at its best.

Unfortunately, the experience with a third instructor (not Chris or Dave) was the opposite. He took over for the rat race on the skid pad and later the lead-and-follow in the M4s, and from the start he kept taking jabs at me and others—calling out supposed “penalties” or mistakes in a way that sounded serious and critical.

That might have been funny to him, but to those of us who don’t know him it came across as condescending and hard to read.

At one point I actually pulled off during the rat race exercise and told him face-to-face that he was coming across as a dick. I reminded him that I don’t know him and can’t tell when he’s joking.

Being a talented racer does not automatically make someone a good coach.

Coaching is about building people up, not leaving them wondering whether they’re being mocked or taught. If this instructor treats every class this way, he will never be the kind of coach that Chris and Dave already are.

Overall, I still recommend the BMW Performance Center West—the program itself is fantastic and Chris and Dave were phenomenal.

But BMW should know that inconsistent instructor behavior can sour an otherwise exceptional experience.

Please recognize Chris Hill and Dave McMillan for their professionalism and coaching skill, and ensure every instructor represents the Performance Center with the same respect and clarity they demonstrate.

While the other instructor did apologize and make right with me, it doesn't excuse that it happened in the first place and I am positive the other people in the class felt it too.

Overall would love to return for a more...

Wonderful facility, knowledgeable instructors, and a variety of classes to choose from. I dived in head first and registered for a one-day M School session months ago. I opted for a class in November because dealing with the 100+ degree heat in Palm Springs during the summer is not something I find enjoyable. The weather was perfect today... in the high 70's / low 80's.

I walked onto the campus with mixed emotions. I was excited to be getting behind the steering wheel of various M-series cars, but also nervous because I've never driven on a race track before.

Upon arrival, the day started with complimentary coffee/tea, fruit and a variety of snacks. The classroom session was led by instructor and professional driver Chris Hill. We went over some basics on how to best navigate the courses. Once the logistics were out of the way, it was time to get behind the wheel. M2's, M4's and M8's were provided for the different sessions and each session was led by a different instructor. We had the pleasure of being taught by professional race car drivers David Thilenius, Dave McMillan and Cam (I didn't get Cam's last name).

Each car was equipped with a 2-way radio and this is how the instructors would communicate with the drivers. After a few hours of driving, we had a lunch break. Lunch was provided and there was a nice variety of food options: salads, sauteed kale, mashed potatoes, beef & chicken....and for dessert.... soft serve ice cream.

After lunch, it was time to get back on the track and test some of the skills learned from the morning sessions with challenges such as Time Attack and Rat Race. Overall, it was a fantastic day and I learned so much. Not only were the instructors all very knowledgeable, they were also all very comedic, which made the sessions light and fun. I am most grateful that they all were so kind and gracious to help calm my nerves as a newbie. I would 100% recommend taking a class at the BMW Performance Center for anyone wanting to learn some great driving techniques while having...