2001 Other Mercedes Benz Models Warning lights

I recently purchased a 2001 Mercedes benz c240, v6 with a 6 spd automatic tranny, on the digital display it started saying front left blinker out, check third brake light, and then it started flashing check alternator/battery consumer default....is this a common problem with the 01 c240? I've looked around and I can't tell if the benz bashing sights are accurate or not, cause lets face it if it goes wrong once in a while on a civic everyone says "oh well it's just a honda"....but if it breaks on a benz every now and again it's an international incident...lol.....so I was just wondering if this is going to be a reaccuring thing, is it an expensive thing to fix....I'm assuming it could be anything from a loose connection to a bad battery or alternator...but are the warnings for the alternator and the battery connected? Thanks for your time.