diff --git a/django/core/serializers/base.py b/django/core/serializers/base.py
index 1ef7bee472..ee9e4dd621 100644
--- a/django/core/serializers/base.py
+++ b/django/core/serializers/base.py
@@ -158,7 +158,12 @@ class DeserializedObject(object):
         return "<DeserializedObject: %s>" % smart_str(self.object)
 
     def save(self, save_m2m=True):
-        self.object.save()
+        # Call save on the Model baseclass directly. This bypasses any 
+        # model-defined save. The save is also forced to be raw.
+        # This ensures that the data that is deserialized is literally 
+        # what came from the file, not post-processed by pre_save/save
+        # methods.
+        models.Model.save(self.object, raw=True)
         if self.m2m_data and save_m2m:
             for accessor_name, object_list in self.m2m_data.items():
                 setattr(self.object, accessor_name, object_list)
diff --git a/django/db/models/base.py b/django/db/models/base.py
index d430d03a31..eb8a9b63be 100644
--- a/django/db/models/base.py
+++ b/django/db/models/base.py
@@ -201,7 +201,7 @@ class Model(object):
 
     _prepare = classmethod(_prepare)
 
-    def save(self):
+    def save(self, raw=False):
         dispatcher.send(signal=signals.pre_save, sender=self.__class__, instance=self)
 
         non_pks = [f for f in self._meta.fields if not f.primary_key]
@@ -218,7 +218,7 @@ class Model(object):
                 self._meta.pk.get_db_prep_lookup('exact', pk_val))
             # If it does already exist, do an UPDATE.
             if cursor.fetchone()[0] > 0:
-                db_values = [f.get_db_prep_save(f.pre_save(self, False)) for f in non_pks]
+                db_values = [f.get_db_prep_save(raw and getattr(self, f.attname) or f.pre_save(self, False)) for f in non_pks]
                 if db_values:
                     cursor.execute("UPDATE %s SET %s WHERE %s=%%s" % \
                         (backend.quote_name(self._meta.db_table),
@@ -229,11 +229,11 @@ class Model(object):
                 record_exists = False
         if not pk_set or not record_exists:
             field_names = [backend.quote_name(f.column) for f in self._meta.fields if not isinstance(f, AutoField)]
-            db_values = [f.get_db_prep_save(f.pre_save(self, True)) for f in self._meta.fields if not isinstance(f, AutoField)]
+            db_values = [f.get_db_prep_save(raw and getattr(self, f.attname) or f.pre_save(self, True)) for f in self._meta.fields if not isinstance(f, AutoField)]
             # If the PK has been manually set, respect that.
             if pk_set:
                 field_names += [f.column for f in self._meta.fields if isinstance(f, AutoField)]
-                db_values += [f.get_db_prep_save(f.pre_save(self, True)) for f in self._meta.fields if isinstance(f, AutoField)]
+                db_values += [f.get_db_prep_save(raw and getattr(self, f.attname) or f.pre_save(self, True)) for f in self._meta.fields if isinstance(f, AutoField)]
             placeholders = ['%s'] * len(field_names)
             if self._meta.order_with_respect_to:
                 field_names.append(backend.quote_name('_order'))
diff --git a/docs/db-api.txt b/docs/db-api.txt
index ef3d811189..feeb708be0 100644
--- a/docs/db-api.txt
+++ b/docs/db-api.txt
@@ -118,6 +118,23 @@ happens.
 Explicitly specifying auto-primary-key values is mostly useful for bulk-saving
 objects, when you're confident you won't have primary-key collision.
 
+Raw saves
+---------
+
+When you save an Django object, some pre-processing will occur on the the data
+that is in the object. For example, if your model has a ``DateField`` with 
+``auto_now=True`` set, the pre-save phase will alter the data in the object 
+to ensure that the date field contains the current date stamp.
+
+Although these automated changes can be very useful, there will be times when
+you just want to save the data as-is. In these cases, you can invoke a *Raw Save* 
+by passing ``raw=True`` as an argument to the ``save()`` method::
+
+    b4.save(raw=True)  # Saves object, but does no pre-processing
+
+A raw save saves all the data in your object, but performs no pre-save processing 
+on the data in the object. 
+
 Saving changes to objects
 =========================
 
diff --git a/tests/regressiontests/serializers_regress/models.py b/tests/regressiontests/serializers_regress/models.py
index b441885f10..268fa052e6 100644
--- a/tests/regressiontests/serializers_regress/models.py
+++ b/tests/regressiontests/serializers_regress/models.py
@@ -209,3 +209,16 @@ class ComplexModel(models.Model):
     field1 = models.CharField(maxlength=10)
     field2 = models.CharField(maxlength=10)
     field3 = models.CharField(maxlength=10)
+
+# Tests for handling fields with pre_save functions, or
+# models with save functions that modify data
+class AutoNowDateTimeData(models.Model):
+    data = models.DateTimeField(null=True, auto_now=True)
+
+class ModifyingSaveData(models.Model):
+    data = models.IntegerField(null=True)
+
+    def save(self):
+        "A save method that modifies the data in the object"
+        self.data = 666
+        super(ModifyingSaveData, self).save(raw)
diff --git a/tests/regressiontests/serializers_regress/tests.py b/tests/regressiontests/serializers_regress/tests.py
index 7c6da9d356..30fd20a80c 100644
--- a/tests/regressiontests/serializers_regress/tests.py
+++ b/tests/regressiontests/serializers_regress/tests.py
@@ -24,17 +24,20 @@ except ImportError:
     from django.utils import _decimal as decimal
 
 # A set of functions that can be used to recreate
-# test data objects of various kinds
+# test data objects of various kinds.
+# The save method is a raw base model save, to make
+# sure that the data in the database matches the
+# exact test case.
 def data_create(pk, klass, data):
     instance = klass(id=pk)
     instance.data = data
-    instance.save()
+    models.Model.save(instance, raw=True)
     return instance
 
 def generic_create(pk, klass, data):
     instance = klass(id=pk)
     instance.data = data[0]
-    instance.save()
+    models.Model.save(instance, raw=True)
     for tag in data[1:]:
         instance.tags.create(data=tag)
     return instance
@@ -42,25 +45,25 @@ def generic_create(pk, klass, data):
 def fk_create(pk, klass, data):
     instance = klass(id=pk)
     setattr(instance, 'data_id', data)
-    instance.save()
+    models.Model.save(instance, raw=True)
     return instance
 
 def m2m_create(pk, klass, data):
     instance = klass(id=pk)
-    instance.save()
+    models.Model.save(instance, raw=True)
     instance.data = data
     return instance
 
 def o2o_create(pk, klass, data):
     instance = klass()
     instance.data_id = data
-    instance.save()
+    models.Model.save(instance, raw=True)
     return instance
 
 def pk_create(pk, klass, data):
     instance = klass()
     instance.data = data
-    instance.save()
+    models.Model.save(instance, raw=True)
     return instance
 
 # A set of functions that can be used to compare
@@ -249,6 +252,9 @@ The end."""),
 #    (pk_obj, 770, TimePKData, datetime.time(10,42,37)),
     (pk_obj, 780, USStatePKData, "MA"),
 #     (pk_obj, 790, XMLPKData, "<foo></foo>"),
+
+    (data_obj, 800, AutoNowDateTimeData, datetime.datetime(2006,6,16,10,42,37)),
+    (data_obj, 810, ModifyingSaveData, 42),
 ]
 
 # Because Oracle treats the empty string as NULL, Oracle is expected to fail
@@ -303,7 +309,7 @@ def fieldsTest(format, self):
     management.flush(verbosity=0, interactive=False)
 
     obj = ComplexModel(field1='first',field2='second',field3='third')
-    obj.save()
+    obj.save(raw=True)
 
     # Serialize then deserialize the test database
     serialized_data = serializers.serialize(format, [obj], indent=2, fields=('field1','field3'))
@@ -319,7 +325,7 @@ def streamTest(format, self):
     management.flush(verbosity=0, interactive=False)
 
     obj = ComplexModel(field1='first',field2='second',field3='third')
-    obj.save()
+    obj.save(raw=True)
 
     # Serialize the test database to a stream
     stream = StringIO()