Steinway upright damper question

[R Moody]

On this 1887 SnS upright there are new damper levers held onto the (new
double flange) pin by butt plates.  The problem is that the felt under the
coil of the return spring is protruding out too far and gets caught between
the pin and the slot in the lever.
    How can I trim this?  Why is it there? What happens if  it comes out
when trying to trim it. I am afraid if I bunch it up it will rub against the
wall of the lever and create frictin.
    Is it to guard against noise? That little spring that deep in the action
behind the closed front of an upright can't cause that much noise.  These
new parts look of the era when they were made cheaply.  If they wanted to
save money couldn't they have left out the damper return spring under coil
felt?  It looks like the tech, no I can't call this work by a piano
technician, the ______ who istalled them simply screwed down the butt plated
and wondered why the wires were so out of line, then adjusted the wired wo
realizing the levers were out of line.
So the dampers do "work",  that is a miracle and I am worried about what
might happen if some well meaning tec comes along and tries to tighten the
now loose butt plate screws because the felt between the pin and the lever
arm has packed down.
    I am tempted to pull the pin, pull the felt, and push back in a  new
pin.