2000 S type questions (Heat, shocks etc)

Hi all.  I frequently read, but rarely post and I have a couple of issues which have recently sprung up.
 
First, my 2000 Stype V6 is having a hard time delivering heat.  She has 78,000 miles on her right now.  When I first start the car, and turn the heat on full blast high, it throws out cold air or air that is the same temp as the outside air.  The problem is, it will not get any warmer over time.  The ONLY thing that makes the air warmer is when I begin to drive, and even then there are stipulations IE the RPMS must be above 2k and when I stop at a light, and it idles at 700, it will quickly blow cool air again.
 
Any help on this would be great.
 
Second, she is 7+ years old now and almost all of the parts on the car are originals including the shock absorbers.  Whenever I go over a bump I can hear a dull rattle coming from the front wheel wells.  It happens on both sides and just sounds as though something is a little loose.  I have read that there were issues with the ball joints going bad in these and wondered if there was any way to tell between the two short of just replacing the shocks and seeing if the sound goes away.
 
Thanks for any help on these issues.  I'll go back to reading as usual.
 
JR

I have the same heat problem. Someone with knowledge please help.