2004 Impala Brakes, Carpet, Paint

[benn600]

I just got this 2004 Impala. It has the 3.4 L engine and less than seven thousand miles.

1) I can definitely tell when the brakes are put on. I hear some just general rough noise. It doesn't sound like any squeeking but I can definitely feel something. Is there anything I can do to reduce this? I washed the car twice now and each time, I simply spray the power washer at the wheel rims. I then see some discolored water come out. Do you think this water helps clean the brake pads? Would this be helpful or harmful? Since everything is so unused (low miles), should I be prepared for squeeking brakes soon because I've read a lot of others having issues?

2) Now a general question: the carpet is a little dirty in some areas--even the seats which are fabric. What approach should I take cleaning these?

3) I have found maybe 3 small problem areas with the paint. One is on the front bumper way towards the bottom. It is the plastic bumper and it appears that it probably would hit in parking lots or steep hills, etc. Also, inside the driver's door there are a few deep scratches and it appears that I can see metal. Finally, a tiny speck under the rear driver's side door handle. It is black underneat. I bought the correct paint color in a small touch up container. Do I need a clear coat touch up bottle as well? Are there any issues when touching up the paint? I don't want to make anything look worse.

4) By the way: I accomplished something I am very proud of. The car has the upgraded premium sound system with CD player and it is definitely good enough for me and I don't plan on replacing it in the near future. I did, however, need my iPhone to interface. So I bought the iSimple kit from Peripheral and a window mount--both totalling $120 together. I ran the cable very carefully straight down behind the radio, over past the pedals, up through the door trim, in the ceiling, and down by the rear-view mirror. It works GREAT! I can't even see the cable anywhere else! Plus I used click-ties to firmly attach the cable to the mount arm with some plastic hose like covering over the entire arm and cable. Then, I used more click ties to secure the cable (iPod dock connector) to the mount--and hold the side release-pins in--so it acts like a dock. The connector is firmly attached to the mount and I don't need to squeeze the sides. I now see the CD Changer icon on the stereo always on because this setup utilizes that auxilery port. Very pleased with everything! I now have a great setup for listening to my entire music collection while driving--and my phone is in a great place for hands free calling. By the way, the mount swivels so I can view the iPhone in landscape mode very easily as well.

Amazingly enough, the included cable was EXACTLY the right length. I left a little slack that I ended up pulling most back because I needed the entire cable length--pretty much exactly! There is about 2 inches of extra at the mount so it swivels nicely without pulling anything.

Highly recommend the setup! I'm going to make a few minor cleanups and then post some pictures. I wrote a 10K character story of the entire project on another forum...I can post a link if anyone is interested.