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When Don Dimond talks about fixing cars, he doesn’t start with horsepower or high-performance engines.
He talks about puzzles.
“I like a problem and a puzzle,” he said. “I like figuring things out.”
That mindset has guided Dimond through more than two decades in the automotive industry—from studying automotive technology at A.W. Beattie Career Center to working at BMW, MINI, Saab, Isuzu and Lotus dealerships before spending the past 11 years at George Riggin Specialty Automotive in Harmony.
In November 2025, he and his wife, Cindy, finally decided it was time to take a leap they had been talking about for nearly a decade.
Together, they opened Dimond Automotive in Valencia, taking over the longtime Aiken Automotive repair shop after owner Mel Aiken retired.
“It probably took me 10 years to get the courage to do it,” Don said. “But I wish I would have done it 10 years ago.”
A Family Business in Every Sense
The shop is more than a husband-and-wife business.
It’s a partnership built on nearly two decades together.
“We get to work with our best friend every day,” Cindy said. “People ask us all the time how we can work together all day and then go home together. But he’s my best friend.”
Although Don handles the more advanced mechanical work, Cindy has become an important part of the operation. After spending 16 years as an X-ray technologist, she now helps with oil changes, brakes, tire rotations and whatever else needs done around the shop. Like Don, Cindy studied automotive technology at A.W. Beattie Career Center. She also grew up around the industry—her father owns Vince’s Automotive in Pittsburgh, giving her a lifelong appreciation for automotive repair before she eventually joined her husband full time at Dimond Automotive.
“If he tells me what to do, I’m usually able to do it,” she said with a smile.
The couple says owning the business has strengthened their marriage.
“We rely very heavily on one another,” Cindy said. “We work really well together.”
More Than Just Repairs
Don specializes in European vehicles, including BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Audi and Volkswagen, but customers don’t need a luxury vehicle to stop by.
“We work on everything,” he said. “From a Model T to a Bugatti.”
His philosophy is simple: if a repair isn’t necessary, he won’t recommend it.
“If you don’t need it, I won’t sell it,” he said. “I look at estimates every day and tell people they don’t need half of that stuff.”
Instead of asking customers to simply trust his diagnosis, Don often walks them into the shop to show exactly what’s wrong. The business also provides digital vehicle inspections with photographs and videos so customers can see repairs for themselves.
“It’s very transparent,” he said. “I’d rather have you touch it, feel it, smell it and see it.”
Building a Reputation
Since opening, the business has grown almost entirely through word of mouth.
Former shop owner Mel Aiken introduced many longtime customers to the new owners, while others have shared their experiences with family and friends.
In just eight months, Dimond Automotive has serviced more than 600 vehicles.
The growth has exceeded their expectations.
“We’re to the point now where I need to split myself in two,” Don joked.
Helping People Stay on the Road
For Don, the most rewarding part of the job isn’t repairing engines.
It’s helping people.
He recalled customers who couldn’t afford large repair bills, families trying to keep an older vehicle running while putting children through college, and people who simply needed someone they could trust.
“It’s an inconvenience to get your car fixed,” he said. “Some people don’t have another way of transportation. Any way we can make getting your car fixed less of an inconvenience—that’s what I strive for.”
Sometimes that means driving customers home. Other times it means taking extra time to explain repairs or allowing flexible payment arrangements when possible.
“We just want people to feel like family,” Don said. “I don’t want them to feel like another number.”
Looking Ahead
The couple already has their sights set on expanding into the building’s lower level and eventually purchasing the longtime Valencia property they currently lease.
But even as the business grows, they say their mission will remain the same.
“Our whole heart is in this,” Don said. “This isn’t just to make a dime. I’d rather break even knowing you had a good experience here.”
He added that supporting other local businesses is part of that philosophy.
“I want to make sure this community is taken care of so we’re taken care of.”
To learn more about Dimond Automotive or make an appointment, visit www.dimondautomotive.com
