"I would like to make an appointment for an inspection"

'to make"

if you need it (but you don't here) say "at your car service" (but you'd also never say 'car service' - it's OK, you just don't say that.

But personally I wouldn't say the last two, I would use 'appointment'

@tchrist I've only ever experienced them in the union of those two places, fancy or Southern European, which happen to be the same as those places with tablecloths.

> I have the feeling that for Perelman to live among humans is equivalent to a man living among dogs. Dogs are surprised why humans are not interested in bones.

@Mitch What is this about tablecloths?

@Cerberus They're fancy

@Hairi Also, it depends on what you're going to ask them to do. An 'inspection' (at least in the US) implies that they are just checking the viability of the car and they won't actually do anything to correct things that might be wrong.

If you want something in particular say "I want to make an appointment for a tune-up" (a tune-up is a vague term for 'clean up any little small things that may be amiss' but really implies oil-change, check major things like brakes and fix if not good, etc etc (which they should list on their website)

@Mitch Well, they are fancier than bare tables, but your average decent restaurant may very well have tablecloths.

Cotton ones, I praesume.

@Cerberus I think you presume too much, for the US

Or for the establishments that I patronize

Tablecloths are not that expensive.

You can easily bleach white ones.

I'm trying to think when the last time it was that I went to a restaurant with whit linen/cotton tablecloths at all

You just use a service, the kind that hotels use for bedlinen.

Non-white tablecloths are probably more expensive...

White is cheap and common; coloured is fancy.

@Cerberus You're talking to me like I am running all the restaurants myself.

Which I am not

I don't think they normally have coloured here.

Surprisingly enough

Why not?

There is a particular sort of establishment that has red and white checked table... welk not exactly table cloths but plastic table covers.

common in the south and for BBQ or fried chicken and definitely not a chain restaurant but very informal and there's a fly tape hanging near the screen door that slams shut with a spring but the tape has no flies on it and they're all buzzing around your table.

and after you're done with your ribs, you rip open the 'moist towelette' to clean the grease and BBQ sauce off your fingers and once again the towelette is way too small and leaves your hands smelling funny.

@Mitch Okay, plastic is probably easy to clean and cheap enough to throw away.

But your typical white tablecloth is cotton.

Still not an expensive material or anything.

@Cerberus yes, after years of use.

@Cerberus sure

I just don't think it is that common in restaurants in the US any more

or restaurants are that much more casual nowadays

You probably won't find it in cheap restaurants here.

But those in the middle may have it.