camshaft tick on E420

[brokebyducati]

okay - not to beat this ticking thing on our 97 E420 to death, but let me bring you all up to speed - engine is ticking on one of the lifters - performance seems to be unaffected/car runs great otherwise, all oil bridges seem to be okay (I'm told) and after two new lifters I'm told I need a new camshaft and all new lifters as the camshaft is worn and connecting with a lifter and producing the "ticktick" noise. All said and done, the bill to replace would be around $1,700 - my question is this - if this indeed is the problem, is there anything I can do (engine rx, etc.) that will help with this issue short of the complete high $$$ job? Also, what might the consequence be of not fixing this thing right away - that just seems like a lot of dollars (extended warranty company nixed helping - it's apparently a wear and tear situation) to alleviate a ticking noise -