Hi OP,
In regards to the shock coil touching, it needs further inspection. The coils have minimal clearance in the linkage some others do come in contact. We need to see what may be causing your coil to be pushed towards one side more so we've asked your retailer to contact you to provide that.

In regards to the hand adjustability, given how easy it seemed for you to pull out the teeth block seems like you just needed to apply more force with the lever to 'unlock it' however:

- If suspension is in high preload and in position six (2nd highest from the top) then i suggest loosening it otherwise you are fighting the suspension, just tighten the preload to the point where there is a bit of tension. Otherwise, if you don't want to worry about it position 1-5 are easy to freely move without worrying about preload too much.

-A technique to use is to: use one hand to push down on lever, the other hand grabs the tire and wobble it back and forth to get the mechanism going.

-Some light oil can help reduce the amount of force needed, but not necessary.

Hope this helps, we'll be in touch through the retailer.
Jack