Did you ever find the source of the "creeking noise" that sounded like it was coming from your dash? I had a similar noise and found it to be coming from the shock isolator at the top mounting location. You can identify if this is the culprit by looking at the center of the shock from under the hood and see if it is rubbing against metal or if it is still in the center, where it is supposed to be. If you need pictures I can provide.
Dave