On average, the life expectancy for patio doors is 20-years. Yet, patio doors can have a longer or shorter lifespan. This is much the same for sliding doors. External sliding patio doors should last around 20-30 years.

When there's dirt in the door track, it not only makes it hard to open and close the door, it may cause serious damage if the door jumps the track when it hits an obstruction. If the sliding door is still sticky after the tracks have been cleaned, use powdered graphite or silicone lubricant to ease things along.