Regarding the pop bumper ball trap. I definitely didn't need to remove a ramp for access. Don't remember probably just a small screwdriver, or even sometimes I just use the bit itself and a little crescent wrench to turn it. That said it's not the hardest ramp to remove if you had to.
The point of the felt pad is probably so the screw doesn't damage the ball. I hadn't seen that idea so I used one of those little screw hider plugs you use in Cabinetry, I had some around and it sort of mushroomed up when tightened to mostly cover the screw so shouldn't be any metal on metal and no loose screws.
My concern with backing the screw out as suggested is the ball will hit it more solidly and could wiggle it enough to make the hole bigger over time.
My fix has been perfect but only in place 100 games or so. Not a single stuck ball.