Thought I'd share my problem in order to help others as this was driving me mad.

When cold starting in morning or whenever the engine would turn over and fire up immediately. It would then just conk out and not catch if you know what I mean. If you start it on the gas peddle and give it some revs for a moment or two it would then idle correctly.

What was also bizaar was the fact that Clock would reset to 0.00 as though a power issue

I started thinking about MAP sensors and 'other' sensors that seem to be built into cars these days. Maybe the mixture wasnt rich enough when cold starting etc.... my mechanic couldnt find the problem so my car just sat there for a few months unused (another car purchased). Searched forums for similar but never had any joy until reading a post on this forum which had exactly same symptoms.

The fix appeared to be something with the battery !!! There was enough charge for the cranking of the engine but not enough juice to power ECU whatchermecallits........

Anyway, I took battery off (original since new) and recharged overnight. Replaced in the morning and car started perfectly :)

This is clearly a battery issue although just doesnt seem right that battery can start car but affect other crucial parts - which is why I didn't even suspect it in the first place.

Hope it helps someone