Gee how embarrassing.
You are absolutely correct. They do not have to come out.
I never even tried to just fit them over.
I have a thule rack on my truck now, so I will not be using my bmw for hauling stuff anyway.
So yes, it is still for sale.
I have the bike carriers also that fit on the load bars. Let me know if you are interested in these.
The bike carriers are a bit beat up as I had them on a Mazda Mx-3 for many years.