diff --git a/crates/doc/src/foreign.rs b/crates/doc/src/foreign.rs
index e0ebb81a4..80ebbc3a3 100644
--- a/crates/doc/src/foreign.rs
+++ b/crates/doc/src/foreign.rs
@@ -75,6 +75,10 @@ pub struct Foreign {
     /// surfaces, which from 2013 on those entities don't carry themselves: each `ACDSRECORD`
     /// names its entity with a 320 handle (see [`Foreign::data_store_entities`]).
     pub data_store: Vec<RawTag>,
+    /// The `$ACADVER` of the file all this was read from: its groups are in that version's form.
+    /// The drawing's own `$ACADVER` is the version it is saved as, which SAVEAS changes, so a
+    /// later save must not take it for this one (#2471).
+    pub version: Option<String>,
 }
 
 impl Foreign {
diff --git a/crates/dwg/src/lib.rs b/crates/dwg/src/lib.rs
index cd260baa4..3157ea68e 100644
--- a/crates/dwg/src/lib.rs
+++ b/crates/dwg/src/lib.rs
@@ -1298,21 +1298,6 @@ mod tests {
     }
 
     /// A kept version not newer than the declared one, a binary DXF and a DXF without `$ACADVER`
-    /// The header is read as group code and value pairs up to the first `0`/`ENDSEC`: a `$ACADVER`
-    /// name whose value would come after it, or a file that never ends its HEADER, is no version
-    /// to replace, and `\r\n` lines keep the value's offset right.
-    #[cfg(not(target_arch = "wasm32"))]
-    #[test]
-    fn declare_version_reads_the_header_in_pairs_up_to_endsec() {
-        let cut = b"  0\r\nSECTION\r\n  2\r\nHEADER\r\n  9\r\n$ACADVER\r\n  0\r\nENDSEC\r\n  1\r\nAC1015\r\n";
-        assert_eq!(native::declare_version(cut, acadrust::DxfVersion::AC1032), None);
-        let endless = vec![b'\n'; 1 << 20];
-        assert_eq!(native::declare_version(&endless, acadrust::DxfVersion::AC1032), None);
-        let crlf = b"  0\r\nSECTION\r\n  2\r\nHEADER\r\n  9\r\n$ACADVER\r\n  1\r\n  AC1015\r\n  0\r\nENDSEC\r\n";
-        let out = native::declare_version(crlf, acadrust::DxfVersion::AC1032).unwrap();
-        assert_eq!(out, b"  0\r\nSECTION\r\n  2\r\nHEADER\r\n  9\r\n$ACADVER\r\n  1\r\n  AC1032\r\n  0\r\nENDSEC\r\n");
-    }
-
     /// are read as they are.
     #[cfg(not(target_arch = "wasm32"))]
     #[test]
@@ -1328,6 +1313,21 @@ mod tests {
         assert_eq!(native::declare_version(late, acadrust::DxfVersion::AC1032), None);
     }
 
+    /// The header is read as group code and value pairs up to the first `0`/`ENDSEC`: a `$ACADVER`
+    /// name whose value would come after it, or a file that never ends its HEADER, is no version
+    /// to replace, and `\r\n` lines keep the value's offset right.
+    #[cfg(not(target_arch = "wasm32"))]
+    #[test]
+    fn declare_version_reads_the_header_in_pairs_up_to_endsec() {
+        let cut = b"  0\r\nSECTION\r\n  2\r\nHEADER\r\n  9\r\n$ACADVER\r\n  0\r\nENDSEC\r\n  1\r\nAC1015\r\n";
+        assert_eq!(native::declare_version(cut, acadrust::DxfVersion::AC1032), None);
+        let endless = vec![b'\n'; 1 << 20];
+        assert_eq!(native::declare_version(&endless, acadrust::DxfVersion::AC1032), None);
+        let crlf = b"  0\r\nSECTION\r\n  2\r\nHEADER\r\n  9\r\n$ACADVER\r\n  1\r\n  AC1015\r\n  0\r\nENDSEC\r\n";
+        let out = native::declare_version(crlf, acadrust::DxfVersion::AC1032).unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(out, b"  0\r\nSECTION\r\n  2\r\nHEADER\r\n  9\r\n$ACADVER\r\n  1\r\n  AC1032\r\n  0\r\nENDSEC\r\n");
+    }
+
     /// Declared as 2007 or later, a DXF is UTF-8: code page text is decoded first. Declared as an
     /// older version, the code page bytes stay as they are.
     #[cfg(not(target_arch = "wasm32"))]
diff --git a/crates/io/src/dxf_raw.rs b/crates/io/src/dxf_raw.rs
index 9b755f80f..9f6718c08 100644
--- a/crates/io/src/dxf_raw.rs
+++ b/crates/io/src/dxf_raw.rs
@@ -452,6 +452,7 @@ pub(crate) fn read(secs: &[Section], d: &mut Drawing) {
         f.data_store = ds.tags.iter().take(MAX_DATA_STORE_GROUPS).map(raw).collect();
     }
     if !f.is_empty() {
+        f.version = d.header.get("ACADVER").and_then(cadcraft_doc::HVal::as_str).map(str::to_string);
         d.foreign = Arc::new(f);
     }
 }
diff --git a/crates/io/src/lib.rs b/crates/io/src/lib.rs
index c643d4b29..9796b49e3 100644
--- a/crates/io/src/lib.rs
+++ b/crates/io/src/lib.rs
@@ -102,11 +102,12 @@ pub fn write_with(d: &Drawing, name: impl AsRef<Path>, opts: &SaveOptions) -> Re
         // one, at least 2004: R2000 DWG has no true colours, transparency, table styles or
         // gradients, so a drawing from an R2000 DXF doesn't lose them by default. The objects
         // CADCraft keeps without modelling them are still in the groups of the file they came
-        // from (`$ACADVER`), and the bridge reads them as that version.
+        // from (`Foreign::version`, not `$ACADVER`, which SAVEAS changes), and the bridge reads
+        // them as that version.
         Some(Format::Dwg) if !opts.binary => {
             let version = opts.version.unwrap_or_else(|| version.max(Version::R2004));
             let bridge = dxf_write::dwg_bridge(d, version);
-            match d.header.get("ACADVER").and_then(cadcraft_doc::HVal::as_str) {
+            match d.foreign.version.as_deref() {
                 Some(kept) => cadcraft_dwg::dxf_to_dwg_kept_as(bridge.as_bytes(), version.code(), kept),
                 None => cadcraft_dwg::dxf_to_dwg_as(bridge.as_bytes(), version.code()),
             }
diff --git a/crates/io/tests/dwg_kept_object_versions.rs b/crates/io/tests/dwg_kept_object_versions.rs
index ad07c6952..8d03c1d75 100644
--- a/crates/io/tests/dwg_kept_object_versions.rs
+++ b/crates/io/tests/dwg_kept_object_versions.rs
@@ -235,6 +235,31 @@ fn kept_objects_survive(version: &str, target: Version) {
     assert!(wrong.is_empty(), "{version} → {target:?}:\n{}", wrong.join("\n"));
 }
 
+/// A drawing saved once as an older DWG has that version as its `$ACADVER` (SAVEAS sets it, so a
+/// later QSAVE writes it again), but its kept objects are still in the 2018 file's groups. The
+/// next save must still read them as 2018: read as the saved version, the mental ray settings
+/// came out a class version too high (the ODA refuses the DWG) and a 2004 field lost its cached
+/// value.
+#[test]
+fn kept_groups_keep_their_version_across_saves() {
+    let dxf = synthetic("AC1032");
+    for (first, second) in [(Version::R2004, Version::R2004), (Version::R2010, Version::R2018), (Version::R2018, Version::R2018)] {
+        let mut source = acadrust::DxfReader::from_reader(Cursor::new(dxf.clone().into_bytes())).unwrap().read().unwrap();
+        source.version = acad(second);
+        let reference = kept(&acadrust::DwgReader::from_stream(Cursor::new(acadrust::DwgWriter::write_to_vec(&source).unwrap())).read().unwrap());
+
+        let mut d = read(dxf.as_bytes(), "kept.dxf").unwrap();
+        write_with(&d, "kept.dwg", &SaveOptions { version: Some(first), binary: false }).unwrap();
+        // What SAVEAS does to the drawing after writing it.
+        d.header.set_str("ACADVER", first.code());
+        let dwg = write_with(&d, "kept.dwg", &SaveOptions { version: Some(second), binary: false }).unwrap();
+        let written = kept(&acadrust::DwgReader::from_stream(Cursor::new(dwg)).read().unwrap());
+        let field = |k: &Kept| k.field.as_ref().map(|f| (f.value.clone(), f.value_string.clone()));
+        assert_eq!(written.mental_ray, reference.mental_ray, "{first:?} then {second:?}: mental ray render settings");
+        assert_eq!(field(&written), field(&reference), "{first:?} then {second:?}: field");
+    }
+}
+
 #[test]
 fn a_2018_files_kept_objects_reach_a_2018_dwg() {
     kept_objects_survive("AC1032", Version::R2018);