diff --git a/spring-data-mongodb/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/mongodb/config/ParsingUtils.java b/spring-data-mongodb/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/mongodb/config/ParsingUtils.java
index b94ab5c7e..2f646d74c 100644
--- a/spring-data-mongodb/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/mongodb/config/ParsingUtils.java
+++ b/spring-data-mongodb/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/mongodb/config/ParsingUtils.java
@@ -79,6 +79,7 @@ abstract class ParsingUtils {
 		setPropertyValue(optionsElement, optionsDefBuilder, "socket-timeout", "socketTimeout");
 		setPropertyValue(optionsElement, optionsDefBuilder, "socket-keep-alive", "socketKeepAlive");
 		setPropertyValue(optionsElement, optionsDefBuilder, "auto-connect-retry", "autoConnectRetry");
+		setPropertyValue(optionsElement, optionsDefBuilder, "max-auto-connect-retry-time", "maxAutoConnectRetryTime");
 		setPropertyValue(optionsElement, optionsDefBuilder, "write-number", "writeNumber");
 		setPropertyValue(optionsElement, optionsDefBuilder, "write-timeout", "writeTimeout");
 		setPropertyValue(optionsElement, optionsDefBuilder, "write-fsync", "writeFsync");
diff --git a/spring-data-mongodb/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/mongodb/core/MongoOptionsFactoryBean.java b/spring-data-mongodb/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/mongodb/core/MongoOptionsFactoryBean.java
index 82a268334..771332d2d 100644
--- a/spring-data-mongodb/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/mongodb/core/MongoOptionsFactoryBean.java
+++ b/spring-data-mongodb/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/mongodb/core/MongoOptionsFactoryBean.java
@@ -68,6 +68,8 @@ public class MongoOptionsFactoryBean implements FactoryBean<MongoOptions>, Initi
 	 */
 	private boolean autoConnectRetry = MONGO_OPTIONS.autoConnectRetry;
 
+	private long maxAutoConnectRetryTime = MONGO_OPTIONS.maxAutoConnectRetryTime;
+
 	/**
 	 * This specifies the number of servers to wait for on the write operation, and exception raising behavior.
 	 * 
@@ -183,6 +185,16 @@ public class MongoOptionsFactoryBean implements FactoryBean<MongoOptions>, Initi
 		this.autoConnectRetry = autoConnectRetry;
 	}
 
+	/**
+	 * The maximum amount of time in millisecons to spend retrying to open connection to the same server. Default is 0,
+	 * which means to use the default 15s if autoConnectRetry is on.
+	 * 
+	 * @param maxAutoConnectRetryTime the maxAutoConnectRetryTime to set
+	 */
+	public void setMaxAutoConnectRetryTime(long maxAutoConnectRetryTime) {
+		this.maxAutoConnectRetryTime = maxAutoConnectRetryTime;
+	}
+
 	/**
 	 * Specifies if the driver is allowed to read from secondaries or slaves. Defaults to false.
 	 * 
@@ -200,6 +212,7 @@ public class MongoOptionsFactoryBean implements FactoryBean<MongoOptions>, Initi
 		MONGO_OPTIONS.socketTimeout = socketTimeout;
 		MONGO_OPTIONS.socketKeepAlive = socketKeepAlive;
 		MONGO_OPTIONS.autoConnectRetry = autoConnectRetry;
+		MONGO_OPTIONS.maxAutoConnectRetryTime = maxAutoConnectRetryTime;
 		MONGO_OPTIONS.slaveOk = slaveOk;
 		MONGO_OPTIONS.w = writeNumber;
 		MONGO_OPTIONS.wtimeout = writeTimeout;
diff --git a/spring-data-mongodb/src/main/resources/org/springframework/data/mongodb/config/spring-mongo-1.0.xsd b/spring-data-mongodb/src/main/resources/org/springframework/data/mongodb/config/spring-mongo-1.0.xsd
index 6abec4fc0..51b0b84a3 100644
--- a/spring-data-mongodb/src/main/resources/org/springframework/data/mongodb/config/spring-mongo-1.0.xsd
+++ b/spring-data-mongodb/src/main/resources/org/springframework/data/mongodb/config/spring-mongo-1.0.xsd
@@ -364,6 +364,13 @@ This controls whether or not on a connect, the system retries automatically.  De
 				]]></xsd:documentation>
 			</xsd:annotation>
 		</xsd:attribute>
+		<xsd:attribute name="max-auto-connect-retry-time" type="xsd:long">
+			<xsd:annotation>
+				<xsd:documentation><![CDATA[
+The maximum amount of time in millisecons to spend retrying to open connection to the same server. Default is 0, which means to use the default 15s if autoConnectRetry is on. 
+				]]></xsd:documentation>
+			</xsd:annotation>
+		</xsd:attribute>
 		<xsd:attribute name="write-number" type="xsd:string">
 			<xsd:annotation>
 				<xsd:documentation><![CDATA[
diff --git a/spring-data-mongodb/src/test/java/org/springframework/data/mongodb/config/MongoDbFactoryParserIntegrationTests.java b/spring-data-mongodb/src/test/java/org/springframework/data/mongodb/config/MongoDbFactoryParserIntegrationTests.java
index a45afaa20..c5f629efe 100644
--- a/spring-data-mongodb/src/test/java/org/springframework/data/mongodb/config/MongoDbFactoryParserIntegrationTests.java
+++ b/spring-data-mongodb/src/test/java/org/springframework/data/mongodb/config/MongoDbFactoryParserIntegrationTests.java
@@ -26,6 +26,8 @@ import org.springframework.beans.factory.config.BeanDefinition;
 import org.springframework.beans.factory.xml.XmlBeanFactory;
 import org.springframework.core.io.ClassPathResource;
 
+import com.mongodb.Mongo;
+
 /**
  * Integration tests for {@link MongoDbFactoryParser}.
  *
@@ -47,4 +49,15 @@ public class MongoDbFactoryParserIntegrationTests {
 		XmlBeanFactory factory = new XmlBeanFactory(new ClassPathResource("namespace/db-factory-bean.xml"));
 		factory.getBean("first");
 	}
+	
+	/**
+	 * @see DATADOC-280
+	 */
+	@Test
+	public void parsesMaxAutoConnectRetryTimeCorrectly() {
+		
+		XmlBeanFactory factory = new XmlBeanFactory(new ClassPathResource("namespace/db-factory-bean.xml"));
+		Mongo mongo = factory.getBean(Mongo.class);
+		assertThat(mongo.getMongoOptions().maxAutoConnectRetryTime, is(27L));
+	}
 }
diff --git a/spring-data-mongodb/src/test/java/org/springframework/data/mongodb/core/MongoOptionsFactoryBeanUnitTests.java b/spring-data-mongodb/src/test/java/org/springframework/data/mongodb/core/MongoOptionsFactoryBeanUnitTests.java
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..3d0875630
--- /dev/null
+++ b/spring-data-mongodb/src/test/java/org/springframework/data/mongodb/core/MongoOptionsFactoryBeanUnitTests.java
@@ -0,0 +1,44 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright 2011 the original author or authors.
+ *
+ * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+ * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+ * You may obtain a copy of the License at
+ *
+ *      http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+ *
+ * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+ * distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+ * WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+ * See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+ * limitations under the License.
+ */
+package org.springframework.data.mongodb.core;
+
+import org.junit.Test;
+
+import com.mongodb.MongoOptions;
+import static org.hamcrest.CoreMatchers.*;
+import static org.junit.Assert.*;
+
+/**
+ * Unit tests for {@link MongoOptionsFactoryBean}.
+ *
+ * @author Oliver Gierke
+ */
+public class MongoOptionsFactoryBeanUnitTests {
+
+	/**
+	 * @see DATADOC-280
+	 */
+	@Test
+	public void setsMaxConnectRetryTime() {
+		
+		MongoOptionsFactoryBean bean = new MongoOptionsFactoryBean();
+		bean.setMaxAutoConnectRetryTime(27);
+		bean.afterPropertiesSet();
+		
+		MongoOptions options = bean.getObject();
+		assertThat(options.maxAutoConnectRetryTime, is(27L));
+	}
+}
diff --git a/spring-data-mongodb/src/test/resources/namespace/db-factory-bean.xml b/spring-data-mongodb/src/test/resources/namespace/db-factory-bean.xml
index 50dd407ca..a8ec95403 100644
--- a/spring-data-mongodb/src/test/resources/namespace/db-factory-bean.xml
+++ b/spring-data-mongodb/src/test/resources/namespace/db-factory-bean.xml
@@ -5,6 +5,9 @@
 	xsi:schemaLocation="http://www.springframework.org/schema/data/mongo http://www.springframework.org/schema/data/mongo/spring-mongo.xsd
 		http://www.springframework.org/schema/beans http://www.springframework.org/schema/beans/spring-beans.xsd">
 
-	<mongo:db-factory id="first" write-concern="SAFE"/>
+	<mongo:db-factory id="first" write-concern="SAFE" mongo-ref="mongo" />
 
+	<mongo:mongo id="mongo">
+		<mongo:options max-auto-connect-retry-time="27" />
+	</mongo:mongo>
 </beans>