On Thu, 27 Nov 2014 10:41:30 -0500, Ed Pawlowski wrote:

In our Family Room we have a Pella 8' slider about 17+ years old. The
stationary side is in perfect condition, but the moving half has some
rot in the bottom panel. Not sure how bad it is, but where the wheels
fits it cannot be adjusted and that end is dragging. The aluminum
front panel is coming off, but since it is cold I don't want to go
tearing into it just yet.

Couple of questions and observations.
Aluminum cladding looks nice but can hide problems
A good door should have a much longer life
Should I even consider Pella again?
We have a Marvin distributor in the next town. How good is Marvin?
This is on the north side so it never gets direct sun. Aside from
insulated glass, does any of the low E stuff do better?

Other thoughts?

Pella and Marvin, some years ago, were problematic. Maybe the install.
I think they have improved over the last 15 year or so.

Andersen has a line of doors made using "Fibrex® material".

_Fibrex composite material combines the strength and stability of wood
with the low-maintenance features of vinyl. _

http://www.renewalbyandersen.com/why-choose-us/fibrex.aspx

I'm certain you may need a deep pocket