Car Pulls to One Side: Causes & Fixes

Hello,
Sure, I'll keep it short. *g*
'A few weeks ago, my Golf4 TDI had a minor collision on the front left side, mostly just paint damage. Since then, I've noticed that the car pulls strongly to the left whenever I accelerate! This only happens if I'm not holding the steering wheel firmly. However, when the steering wheel is straight, the car drives straight without any problems!'
I had the alignment adjusted. However, it didn't yield significant results. It turned out that the left wheel is positioned approximately 8-10mm further back than the right wheel (measured from the distance to the front edge of the wheel well).
The same measurements were taken on the lifting platform under the car. It's likely that the auxiliary frame of the body was bent due to the other vehicle scraping against mine (mine was parked, the wheels slightly turned in, and the other car scraped my front, including the wheel, towards the rear with its front bumper). Only visible paint damage is present on the front bumper.
Well, after the adjustments (although I don't entirely trust the mechanic about whether he adjusted them correctly - everything seemed quite strange to me)... there's been no change, as I said.
Lower control arm bushings (front and rear) replaced.
Now it's even worse, and the steering wheel position has also become misaligned.

Question: What else could it be? Steering gear? Power steering valves? (You can hear a distinct cracking sound when you turn the steering wheel/especially to the left/, and the engine is off!)
The steering wheel doesn't have any play. You can't hear it when the engine is running.

I would really appreciate it if someone has more ideas, because I'm running out. I've already checked things like the brakes and air pressure, etc.

Hi,

If the car pulls to the left only when accelerating, and not otherwise or less so, it's very likely that there's play in the wheel suspension.
Or, just tightening the adjustment screws incorrectly (which can be extremely dangerous). A workshop belonging to a chain with three letters (Ahde...) in Cologne did that to one of my old cars.
The cracking sound also suggests that something is loose.

Best regards, Rainer.

Several people have inspected the suspension components, including the shock absorbers, control arms, and ball joints... there was no play found anywhere. The popping sound seems to be coming from the steering rack area. It also only occurs when turning to the left, regardless of the previous position, so it happens from every position. *pondering*

1. Engage first gear, one person in front of the car, one behind, quickly push/rock the car back and forth, and observe the movement of the front left and right wheels...