Maybe in some cases but in general I think the real reason for a remaster is "we need to sell the same music yet again so we need to change something".
Back then I subscribed to something called ICE Magazine, a newsletter of upcoming CD release news -- albums never before on CD, and ones that were being re-released on CD as 'remastered'. Company reps were commonly quoted, either to flak an upcoming release, or to address the constant stream of reader complaints about the sound or packaging quality of existing CDS.
I'm reporting what the public rationale from record companies was, at the time.