Correct. If the rivet is intact, the rod will stay with the collar. If not, you still will have to remove the top of the bracket which the adjusting nut bears against. Only then can the adjusting rod/nut be removed completely.

__________________
Jeff Lawrence
1989 300e
2000 Dodge Grand Caravan SE
No matter what you fix, there will always be something else to fix..
"Warranty" is just another way of postponing the inevitable.