And the reason for the black plugs is because the plugs aren't burning the fuel properly.. If you had any kind of oil in your cylinders it would be smoking out the end of the exhaust..

 

Thanks guys for all the suggestions.
You have no idea how much I appreciate the input , especially from other guys with Audis.
I couldnt get the tools from Autozone yesterday because my wife and her mom were out shopping all day for Christmas gifts in her car.
i had to work today and just made it home so I will try tomorrow.

" The battery wouldn't cause it to be sluggish.. Him thinking it turns over is a little strange.. If I had to make a blind guess it would be fuel pressure related.."

It doesnt turn over at all but it's kinda funny that you mentioned fuel because I made a video of what's happening and showed a guy at work who used to work at a garage and although he is no Audi expert and hasnt seen it in person , he says it sounds like it's not getting gas.
Is there anyway I can post the video here so that perhaps you guys can get a bit of a better idea of what may be going on?
If there is a way , can someone tell me how?
I have the video on my computer already.
Someone asked if my battery was charged. I'm not sure exactly but it was fine before. Then after trying to start it the next morning ( after it was sluggish ) after a few tries it sounded weak. Then I jumped it and it seemed like power was there but it just would not turn over.
At no point did I lose interior lights , accessory power , etc.
Thanks again guys for all the help. I sure hope , with your guidance , the car can get running again soon.

 

Just to be clear.. By "not turning over" do you mean

A) the starter is engaging and turning the engine without firing/starting..

B) you turn the key and nothing happens.. No starter sound or clicking sound or anything..

 

You can post the video to YouTube and post a link on here..

 

the carbon on the plug is either cause by it not firing or an improper fuel to air ratio. Oil doesn't always make it out the exhaust either.. But there is clearly oil on the plug

 

Here is the video I spoke of previously http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rerm-...ature=youtu.be

 

Yesterday I got a new battery from Sears and $169 later..It's still not starting.
Here is the video made this morning after changing the battery.
I decided to change the battery because the one that was in there was the original battery and it would not charge.
Yesterday I rented a large battery charger/starter unit and the battery would not take a charge. Hoping that this was the last piece I needed , I purchased this die hard from Sears yesterday while I had a ride to get there. The alarm code and radio code went off but following a tip I saw online , I was able to get those working again.
However , the car still wont start.
I must say though , after I initially hooked up the new battery , it did , finally , SOUND like it WANTED to start. It was the closest I've been to starting the car since this problem occured.
This video is the 3rd time I tried after installing the new battery this morning.

 

Well I ran some errands in my wifes car , came back and decided to try it again before I went in for the day.
It started up and then died when I gave it a little gas.
The rpms went down and the car stopped.
I tried it again and this time it stayed on!
I gave it some gas as it was running and it stayed on.
I let the car run for an hour and after that I took it for a ride up and down my street. I was afraid to go much further in case it stopped on me. It didnt.

*Edit { I DO now have a yellow triangle with exclamation point on the dash}

I'm so happy that the car finally starts up again but I'm still worried about driving it since I don't know why it wouldn't start initially after changing the battery. As I sat in the car I was reminded of the other issues I have with the car. The first is very hard steering at times. A while back I drove the car and there was no power steering fluid in it. After that happened , there are times when I find it very difficult to turn the wheel. I'm not sure if its the rack or the pump. Also , I have no heat in the car. There was none last year either.
I havent gotten the water pump / timing belt changed yet , could this have anything to do with it? As you can see , I have a lot of work to do.
If anyone can recommend an honest and reasonably priced Audi mechanic in the Boston area , I would appreciate it. I want to put this car back in great shape. Thanks guys for all your help.

 

for the no heat have u flushed the heater core. That would the the most inexpensive way to try to revive your heat. Either that or you can do what others will suggest and flat out replace the whole core. Takes a few hours but it very possible if you have any sort of wrenching experiance. when was the last time the timing belt and water pump were changed? Also see if once the car cools down if it still has a hard start. If so i would think u might have a sensor that is casuing hard start problems.

 

Now that you have been able to get it running again I would highly suggest taking it to a tech.

Have them give the vehicle a complete look over, these vehicles require lots of maintenance and up keep. If you neglect them things can get ugly pretty quickly.

At over 100k miles I would be skeptical of a timing belt change. If there's no evidence of it I would probably go ahead and have it changed for piece of mind.

It may require some reconditioning but once you get that sorted out and you stay up on regular oil changes and preventative maintenance the car should serve you well.

Good luck, if you ever have any questions don't hesitate to shoot me a PM!

Jason