I have a 1999 2.0 T SE S40 that runs great considering the mileage but pulls very badly to the left.

I have been trying to get to the bottom of this for some months so there is a lot of background. Apologies in advance therefore for my long first post.

Although I can't remember exactly when this started to happen I do know it's been going on for some time (6 months plus) and the only thing I can vaguely tie in with this is a new spring around the same time on the off side. I only had one replaced at the time (on recommendation of the garage) and have since had the other replaced also. Both genuine Volvo springs of the correct colour code.

Basically, as I drive if I let go of the wheel the car will pull to the left and the steering wheel will turn a few degrees to the left - so the car is steering to the left and not crabbing.

My tyres have been scrubbing on the outer edge so I thought this was an alignment issue. First job was to get the tracking done. Having had the tracking inspected several times and now a full 4 wheel alignment and steering geometry check the problem is still there. This has made no difference.

All steering components have been checked by no less than ELEVEN garages now and all have said there is nothing wrong underneath such as a bent or poorly adjusted track rod or bottom arm for instance. I have also swapped wheels with another S40 to eliminate wheel and tyre problems. All bushings are said to be in good condition, as are the top suspension mounts.

Just the other day, I noticed that when stationary if I apply full left lock, the front left corner of the car dips very noticeably (from inside and out) by a good inch or more. When I apply full right lock however, the right corner of the car hardly dips at all.

I am convinced the dipping of the corner has much to do with the pulling problem so finding the cause of this is high on my priority list! I have spoken to another owner of an S40 and he tells me his dips more on one side than the other on full lock also, yet does not pull when driving. I need to know if this is normal and if it's not, which side is behaving as it should so that I can focus my attention on the problem side.

Another point to note is that immediately after driving with full right lock, the car will dirve in a straight line when I let go of the steering wheel. However, immediately after driving with full left lock, the car will not go in a straight line at all and pulls straight to the left.

As I mentioned, I have been trying to get this problem resolved for a long time now and have spent a lot of money in the process so any help whatsoever would be greatly appreciated as I don't want to have to get rid now.

Thanks.