joystick problems :(

my joystick has starte pulling to the left recently, no matter how many times i calibrate the darn thing it just pulls to the left. ive tried it in several USB ports and just pulls to the left. ive checked the FS settings and they are all central. can anyone suggest anything that might stop this, or is it time to go buy a new joystick?
cheers
john
cheers
john