Or does the two-year thing mean “lying around unused in a box” for two years, like the little rubber piece dry-rotting? I bought up a bunch of extra lids last year at the end of the season, just because they were marked down to practically-almost-free. Dry rot never even crossed my mind UNTIL NOW. Thanks, I think.
We always inspect our lids and seals, if they are older. I have never found any with cracks in them, the seal not the lid. It would be pretty obvious if the lid seal was dried out. It would have obvious cracks that would inhibit a good seal, and it would be hard, not soft and pliable.