[Bilbofraggins]

Hello Mr SoS....I have a 2013 X6M which I have owned since it was a just under 2 years old...bought it with 45K..I now have 97000Km. I now do most of the routine servicing on the M...since Nov 16 (and have a good Indy who steps-up on my vehicles when needed, and just did for some fluid changes). Very easy vehicle to work on if that your thing.

Here are my thoughts...firstly the ticking...if its lifter type tick...never had that on the M...but certainly on an E90...they don't play well with 0W40 type oils here in Canada in the winter...if you do...guess what...Lifter tick....

I doubt that's the problem with the X6M....but I would question the last oil change...was it dealer? If anywhere else they may not be aware that you need 5W30 that is HTHS (High Temp/High Shear)..so for instance Costco is out for you....as their Castrol is 5W30 but is ACEA A1/B1...you need to look on the back label for ACEA A3/B3 or B4 (you can buy it almost anywhere...PM if you want more info on this...there is also a thread. I now use LL04 oil..not LL01.

Undercoating....I had Krown applied a few years ago...but have not bothered since...but funnily enough I'm having drip-less Amber oil applied this afternoon

As for launching...I don't bother with that but do drive spiritedly!! in M mode here and there. I don't track the vehicle...

Your plugs are due at 100,000Km....they will likely be fine...mine where just done...and looked perfect.

As for you tranny...although BMW say life time fill (they don't keep it a lifetime)...ZF who make your tranny say change at 80...to 120,000KM...depending on how its driven...I just did mine and every other fluid...less power steering. You may have seen the comment I shoved up. I did not do the bridge seals or mechatronic seals as I had no problem. So I just dropped the pan and replaced the filter etc. You may need a few seals...all very DIY able...watch a few youtube movies..as there are some suberb ones...

I would also advise booking your vehicle in for the BMW Canada 55 point inspection...that comes with a years BMW NA roadside with accident and other benefits. We do this on 3 x BMW. Last year, on my son's E90 ( a vehicle we have had since new)...they found 7000 bucks worth of work...shocks, brakes, shift shaft seal, blown bulbs etc..we did it for 2k...Vehicle as new now. 60 bucks well spent every year. I trust any recalls are completed?

So some things for you to consider...shoot a message if you think I can be of help. But I would definitely consider the things I recommended.
Between myself...and an 2013 M5 owning friend...also just off warranty...we figure most things out. I can provide some help based on my experiences thus far .. and heavily research based which will save you many hours of BMW/alternatives googling....