Our car was totaled due to hail damage, but we recently put $4,000 into repairs. Is there any way to recoup the repair costs in addition to the fair market value?

Ouch. Unfortunately, the car insurance company only has to pay you for the market value of the vehicle, regardless of how much you have spent to keep it in good working order.

As you know, car insurance companies declare a vehicle a total loss when the cost of repairing it exceeds a certain percentage of the car's value. The percentage varies among insurers, and often state insurance departments set guidelines for those thresholds.

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Claims adjusters determine the car's worth by using their insurance companies' proprietary database of values. Once your insurer determines the value, it will send you a check for that amount, minus the deductible, and the car will be auctioned off for salvage. The insurance company pockets the money the car fetches at auction.

Although you can't recoup the money you spent to fix your car, you may be able to get the insurance company to pay for other expenses you'll face when you purchase a replacement vehicle. More than 50 percent of states require car insurance companies to pay for the sales tax, title and registration costs after you buy a new or used vehicle to replace the totaled vehicle. Additionally, some insurance companies will do so even in states where they're not required to reimburse you for those costs.

Learn the rules in your state so you know your rights, and ask for reimbursement. Don't put off the request; in some states, you have only 30 days from the time you purchase another vehicle. For more, see recouping expenses after your car is totaled and total warfare: what to do when your auto insurer totals your car.