Typical times
A front-wheel alignment on an unmodified car is generally the better part of half an hour to an hour once it's on the rack. A four-wheel alignment takes longer because rear camber and toe are adjusted too. A lowered car can take an hour or more, and if adjustable arms or camber bolts have to be fitted to reach the numbers, add the time to fit them. A performance alignment to custom settings — specific camber and toe for how the car is driven, with corner weights if relevant — is a longer, more careful job again.
Why it varies
Alignment time is mostly adjustment time. If the adjusters are free and the car reaches spec first go, it's quick. If the adjusters are seized, if the car is out of range and needs parts, or if the target is a custom setting rather than the factory number, it isn't. Older cars and cars that have never been aligned since being lowered are the slow ones.
Do it in the right order
If you're fitting springs or coilovers, set the ride height first, let the car settle, then align. Aligning before the height is final means aligning again. When alignment is part of a Roccomotive package it happens after setup, through a trusted provider nearby — once. Wheel alignment is arranged through a trusted provider near our Brendale workshop — we don't run alignment equipment in-house.
Ride height changes camber and toe. Any change to height — even a 'small' one — means the alignment is no longer what it was.
