Nope...there are gears in there...they are plastic...and they break/strip....I know this first hand. However the rods have frail plastic cap/ball hinges that can also break.
Oh yea...the panel is pretty easy to take off...there is several write ups that tell how as stated above. The motor is a simple plug and two screws. The ball hinges are the hard part not to break. Mine broke...I rigged it but it has since brokem again. Some day I'll get around to finding something to replace them with in a u-pull-it place.