I didn't want to get in touch with them, before getting legal advice - for fear of incriminating myself or doing something unwise before getting proper counsel.

I didn't want to get in touch with them, before getting legal advice - for fear of incriminating myself or doing something unwise before getting proper counsel. I did try to deal with it earlier, with the car company, but the terms of a settlement were still too onerous. They wanted a lump sum figure (albeit with a 30% discount) - which was still way too high for me. If I had the certainty of future cash flows, I would have pressed to get it resolved earlier - but I knew that my cash flows would be in jeopardy in a few months, so figured it would be best not to get into such an arrangement. I do plan on working out something in the future though....once I can get through this.