I know what happened now...

We "broke down" in the car park at Digley reservoir in Yorkshire near
Holmfirth.  We'd been for a walk, kids got a bit dirty so we opened car up
and got them changed.  Had an ice cream and then tried to start car.
Nothing.  Called out RAC, who after sending a patrol to the south coast
eventually turned up four hours and eight or nine irate phone calls later.

Patrolman immediately diagnosed out of fuel, I said I found that hard to
believe as car was fine when we parked.  How unlucky would you have to be to
run out as you switch the engine off.

To prove he was right he pulled off the intake hose to the throttle body and
sprayed Bradex directly into throttle bottle whilst I operated the ignition.
She started and ran on the Bradex, "proving" his point.

We fetched fuel put it in and tried again, in the meantime my wife had
waited with the kids and the car, she'd obviously operated the remote locks.

Needless to say when we'd fuelled her up she ran like a dream!

We thought there must be a fuel sender issue, but I've just worked it out.
Flash to bang period you could measure with a calendar!  The immobiliser
cuts the fuel circuit, but not the ignition!  So there was still fuel in
her, but the fuel pump was cut out by the immobiliser because we'd opened
the car and not operated the ignition.....

Told you it was embarrassing, my only excuse is we'd only had the car a week
and hadn't read the manuals.  It was only by this very set of symptoms
happening again on a known full tank that I realised what was going on! DOH!

The RAC however have no excuse.....

Al