diff --git a/Examples/test-suite/autodoc.i b/Examples/test-suite/autodoc.i
index a97a1634f..0e9356901 100644
--- a/Examples/test-suite/autodoc.i
+++ b/Examples/test-suite/autodoc.i
@@ -169,3 +169,13 @@ int process2(int from = 0, int _in = 1, int var = 2) { return from; }
 int process3(int from, int _in, int var) { return from; }
 int process4(int from = 0, int _in = 1, int var = 2) { return from; }
 %}
+
+// Autodoc for methods with default arguments not directly representable in
+// target language.
+%feature(autodoc,0) process_complex_defval;
+%feature("compactdefaultargs") process_complex_defval;
+%inline %{
+const int PROCESS_DEFAULT_VALUE = 17;
+typedef long int some_type;
+int process_complex_defval(int val = PROCESS_DEFAULT_VALUE, int factor = some_type(-1)) { return val*factor; }
+%}
diff --git a/Examples/test-suite/python/autodoc_runme.py b/Examples/test-suite/python/autodoc_runme.py
index d643d2247..d866cb990 100644
--- a/Examples/test-suite/python/autodoc_runme.py
+++ b/Examples/test-suite/python/autodoc_runme.py
@@ -207,3 +207,5 @@ check(inspect.getdoc(process), "process(int _from, int _in, int var) -> int")
 check(inspect.getdoc(process2), "process2(int _from=0, int _in=1, int var=2) -> int")
 check(inspect.getdoc(process3), "process3(int _from, int _in, int var) -> int")
 check(inspect.getdoc(process4), "process4(int _from=0, int _in=1, int var=2) -> int")
+
+check(inspect.getdoc(process_complex_defval), "process_complex_defval(val=PROCESS_DEFAULT_VALUE, factor=some_type(-1)) -> int")
diff --git a/Source/Modules/python.cxx b/Source/Modules/python.cxx
index fe681f768..f6aa4b869 100755
--- a/Source/Modules/python.cxx
+++ b/Source/Modules/python.cxx
@@ -1715,9 +1715,19 @@ public:
       // Write default value
       if (value && !calling) {
 	String *new_value = convertValue(value, Getattr(p, "type"));
+	if (new_value) {
+	  value = new_value;
+	} else {
+	  // Even if the value is not representable in the target language, still use it in the documentaiton, for compatibility with the previous SWIG versions
+	  // and because it can still be useful to see the C++ expression there.
+	  Node *lookup = Swig_symbol_clookup(value, 0);
+	  if (lookup)
+	    value = Getattr(lookup, "sym:name");
+	}
+	Printf(doc, "=%s", value);
+
 	if (new_value)
-	  Printf(doc, "=%s", new_value);
-	Delete(new_value);
+	  Delete(new_value);
       }
       Delete(type_str);
       Delete(made_name);