diff --git a/core/src/main/java/org/springframework/ws/soap/saaj/SaajSoapElement.java b/core/src/main/java/org/springframework/ws/soap/saaj/SaajSoapElement.java
index bb23168f..4bb9e7c1 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/org/springframework/ws/soap/saaj/SaajSoapElement.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/org/springframework/ws/soap/saaj/SaajSoapElement.java
@@ -36,6 +36,8 @@ class SaajSoapElement implements SoapElement {
 
     private final SOAPElement element;
 
+    private SaajImplementation implementation;
+
     SaajSoapElement(SOAPElement element) {
         Assert.notNull(element, "element must not be null");
         this.element = element;
@@ -94,17 +96,20 @@ class SaajSoapElement implements SoapElement {
     }
 
     protected final SaajImplementation getImplementation() {
-        if (SaajUtils.getSaajVersion() == SaajUtils.SAAJ_13) {
-            return Saaj13Implementation.getInstance();
-        }
-        else if (SaajUtils.getSaajVersion() == SaajUtils.SAAJ_12) {
-            return Saaj12Implementation.getInstance();
-        }
-        else if (SaajUtils.getSaajVersion() == SaajUtils.SAAJ_11) {
-            return Saaj11Implementation.getInstance();
-        }
-        else {
-            throw new IllegalStateException("Could not find SAAJ on the classpath");
+        if (implementation == null) {
+            if (SaajUtils.getSaajVersion(element) == SaajUtils.SAAJ_13) {
+                implementation = Saaj13Implementation.getInstance();
+            }
+            else if (SaajUtils.getSaajVersion(element) == SaajUtils.SAAJ_12) {
+                implementation = Saaj12Implementation.getInstance();
+            }
+            else if (SaajUtils.getSaajVersion(element) == SaajUtils.SAAJ_11) {
+                implementation = Saaj11Implementation.getInstance();
+            }
+            else {
+                throw new IllegalStateException("Could not find SAAJ on the classpath");
+            }
         }
+        return implementation;
     }
 }
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/org/springframework/ws/soap/saaj/SaajSoapMessage.java b/core/src/main/java/org/springframework/ws/soap/saaj/SaajSoapMessage.java
index 8ec092f7..a25266aa 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/org/springframework/ws/soap/saaj/SaajSoapMessage.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/org/springframework/ws/soap/saaj/SaajSoapMessage.java
@@ -59,6 +59,8 @@ public class SaajSoapMessage extends AbstractSoapMessage {
 
     private final boolean langAttributeOnSoap11FaulString;
 
+    private SaajImplementation implementation;
+
     /**
      * Create a new <code>SaajSoapMessage</code> based on the given SAAJ <code>SOAPMessage</code>.
      *
@@ -77,12 +79,12 @@ public class SaajSoapMessage extends AbstractSoapMessage {
      */
     public SaajSoapMessage(SOAPMessage soapMessage, boolean langAttributeOnSoap11FaulString) {
         Assert.notNull(soapMessage, "soapMessage must not be null");
+        saajMessage = soapMessage;
+        this.langAttributeOnSoap11FaulString = langAttributeOnSoap11FaulString;
         MimeHeaders headers = getImplementation().getMimeHeaders(soapMessage);
         if (ObjectUtils.isEmpty(headers.getHeader(TransportConstants.HEADER_SOAP_ACTION))) {
             headers.addHeader(TransportConstants.HEADER_SOAP_ACTION, "\"\"");
         }
-        saajMessage = soapMessage;
-        this.langAttributeOnSoap11FaulString = langAttributeOnSoap11FaulString;
     }
 
     /** Return the SAAJ <code>SOAPMessage</code> that this <code>SaajSoapMessage</code> is based on. */
@@ -169,7 +171,7 @@ public class SaajSoapMessage extends AbstractSoapMessage {
     }
 
     public boolean isXopPackage() {
-        if (SaajUtils.getSaajVersion() >= SaajUtils.SAAJ_13) {
+        if (SaajUtils.getSaajVersion(saajMessage) >= SaajUtils.SAAJ_13) {
             SOAPPart saajPart = saajMessage.getSOAPPart();
             String[] contentTypes = saajPart.getMimeHeader(TransportConstants.HEADER_CONTENT_TYPE);
             for (int i = 0; i < contentTypes.length; i++) {
@@ -182,7 +184,7 @@ public class SaajSoapMessage extends AbstractSoapMessage {
     }
 
     public boolean convertToXopPackage() {
-        if (SaajUtils.getSaajVersion() >= SaajUtils.SAAJ_13) {
+        if (SaajUtils.getSaajVersion(saajMessage) >= SaajUtils.SAAJ_13) {
             convertMessageToXop();
             convertPartToXop();
             return true;
@@ -244,19 +246,22 @@ public class SaajSoapMessage extends AbstractSoapMessage {
         return new SaajAttachment(saajAttachment);
     }
 
-    protected SaajImplementation getImplementation() {
-        if (SaajUtils.getSaajVersion() == SaajUtils.SAAJ_13) {
-            return Saaj13Implementation.getInstance();
-        }
-        else if (SaajUtils.getSaajVersion() == SaajUtils.SAAJ_12) {
-            return Saaj12Implementation.getInstance();
-        }
-        else if (SaajUtils.getSaajVersion() == SaajUtils.SAAJ_11) {
-            return Saaj11Implementation.getInstance();
-        }
-        else {
-            throw new IllegalStateException("Could not find SAAJ on the classpath");
+    protected final SaajImplementation getImplementation() {
+        if (implementation == null) {
+            if (SaajUtils.getSaajVersion(saajMessage) == SaajUtils.SAAJ_13) {
+                implementation = Saaj13Implementation.getInstance();
+            }
+            else if (SaajUtils.getSaajVersion(saajMessage) == SaajUtils.SAAJ_12) {
+                implementation = Saaj12Implementation.getInstance();
+            }
+            else if (SaajUtils.getSaajVersion(saajMessage) == SaajUtils.SAAJ_11) {
+                implementation = Saaj11Implementation.getInstance();
+            }
+            else {
+                throw new IllegalStateException("Could not find SAAJ on the classpath");
+            }
         }
+        return implementation;
     }
 
     public String toString() {
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/org/springframework/ws/soap/saaj/support/SaajUtils.java b/core/src/main/java/org/springframework/ws/soap/saaj/support/SaajUtils.java
index 1527650e..921becda 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/org/springframework/ws/soap/saaj/support/SaajUtils.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/org/springframework/ws/soap/saaj/support/SaajUtils.java
@@ -18,7 +18,12 @@ package org.springframework.ws.soap.saaj.support;
 
 import java.io.IOException;
 import java.io.InputStream;
+import java.lang.reflect.Method;
+import java.lang.reflect.Modifier;
+import java.util.Collections;
+import java.util.HashMap;
 import java.util.Iterator;
+import java.util.Map;
 import javax.xml.namespace.QName;
 import javax.xml.soap.MessageFactory;
 import javax.xml.soap.MimeHeaders;
@@ -29,13 +34,16 @@ import javax.xml.soap.SOAPEnvelope;
 import javax.xml.soap.SOAPException;
 import javax.xml.soap.SOAPMessage;
 
+import org.w3c.dom.Element;
+import org.apache.commons.logging.Log;
+import org.apache.commons.logging.LogFactory;
+
 import org.springframework.core.io.Resource;
 import org.springframework.util.Assert;
 import org.springframework.util.ClassUtils;
 import org.springframework.util.StringUtils;
 import org.springframework.ws.transport.TransportConstants;
 import org.springframework.xml.namespace.QNameUtils;
-import org.w3c.dom.Element;
 
 /**
  * Collection of generic utility methods to work with SAAJ. Includes conversion from SAAJ {@link Name} objects to {@link
@@ -48,6 +56,11 @@ import org.w3c.dom.Element;
  */
 public abstract class SaajUtils {
 
+    // The exception message thrown by WebLogic 9
+    private static final String WEBLOGIC_9_SAAJ_EXCEPTION_MESSAGE = "This class does not support SAAJ 1.1";
+
+    private static final Log logger = LogFactory.getLog(SaajUtils.class);
+
     public static final int SAAJ_11 = 0;
 
     public static final int SAAJ_12 = 1;
@@ -56,6 +69,9 @@ public abstract class SaajUtils {
 
     private static final String SAAJ_13_CLASS_NAME = "javax.xml.soap.SAAJMetaFactory";
 
+    // Maps SOAPElement class names to Integer SAAJ versions (SAAJ_11, SAAJ_12, SAAJ_13)
+    private static final Map saajVersions = Collections.synchronizedMap(new HashMap());
+
     private static int saajVersion = SAAJ_12;
 
     static {
@@ -127,6 +143,112 @@ public abstract class SaajUtils {
         return saajVersion;
     }
 
+    /**
+     * Gets the SAAJ version for the specified {@link SOAPMessage}.
+     *
+     * @return a code comparable to the SAAJ_XX codes in this class
+     * @see #SAAJ_11
+     * @see #SAAJ_12
+     * @see #SAAJ_13
+     */
+    public static int getSaajVersion(SOAPMessage soapMessage) {
+        Assert.notNull(soapMessage, "'soapMessage' must not be null");
+        try {
+            return getSaajVersion(soapMessage.getSOAPPart().getEnvelope());
+        }
+        catch (SOAPException e) {
+            return SAAJ_11;
+        }
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Gets the SAAJ version for the specified {@link javax.xml.soap.SOAPElement}.
+     *
+     * @return a code comparable to the SAAJ_XX codes in this class
+     * @see #SAAJ_11
+     * @see #SAAJ_12
+     * @see #SAAJ_13
+     */
+    public static int getSaajVersion(SOAPElement soapElement) {
+        Assert.notNull(soapElement, "'soapElement' must not be null");
+        Class soapElementClass = soapElement.getClass();
+        Integer saajVersion = (Integer) saajVersions.get(soapElementClass.getName());
+        if (saajVersion == null) {
+            if (isSaaj12(soapElement)) {
+                if (isSaaj13(soapElement)) {
+                    saajVersion = new Integer(SAAJ_13);
+                }
+                else {
+                    saajVersion = new Integer(SAAJ_12);
+                }
+            } else {
+                saajVersion = new Integer(SAAJ_11);
+            }
+            saajVersions.put(soapElementClass.getName(), saajVersion);
+            if (logger.isTraceEnabled()) {
+                logger.trace("SOAPElement [" + soapElement.getClass().getName() + "] implements " +
+                        getSaajVersionString(saajVersion.intValue()));
+            }
+        }
+        return saajVersion.intValue();
+    }
+
+    private static boolean isSaaj13(SOAPElement soapElement) {
+        try {
+            Method m = soapElement.getClass().getMethod("getElementQName", new Class[0]);
+            // we might be using the SAAJ 1.3 API, while the impl is 1.2
+            // let's see if the method is not abstract
+            if (Modifier.isAbstract(m.getModifiers())) {
+                logger.warn("Detected SAAJ API version 1.3, while implementation provides version 1.2. " +
+                        "Please replace the SAAJ API jar with a version that corresponds to your runtime" +
+                        " implementation (which might be provided by your app server).");
+                return false;
+            }
+            else {
+                return true;
+            }
+        }
+        catch (NoSuchMethodException e) {
+            // getElementQName not found
+            return false;
+        }
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Checks whether we can find a SAAJ 1.2 implementation, being aware of the broken WebLogic 9 SAAJ implementation.
+     * <p/>
+     * WebLogic 9 does implement SAAJ 1.2, but throws UnsupportedOperationExceptions when a SAAJ 1.2 method is called.
+     */
+    private static boolean isSaaj12(SOAPElement soapElement) {
+        try {
+            Method m = soapElement.getClass().getMethod("getPrefix", new Class[0]);
+            // we might be using the SAAJ 1.2 API, while the impl is 1.1
+            // let's see if the method is not abstract
+            if (Modifier.isAbstract(m.getModifiers())) {
+                logger.warn("Detected SAAJ API version 1.2, while implementation provides version 1.1. " +
+                        "Please replace the SAAJ API jar with a version that corresponds to your runtime " +
+                        "implementation (which might be provided by your app server).");
+                return false;
+            }
+            else {
+                soapElement.getPrefix();
+                return true;
+            }
+        }
+        catch (NoSuchMethodException e) {
+            // getPrefix not found
+            return false;
+        }
+        catch (UnsupportedOperationException ex) {
+            // getPrefix results in UOE, let's see if we're dealing with WL 9
+            if (WEBLOGIC_9_SAAJ_EXCEPTION_MESSAGE.equals(ex.getMessage())) {
+                return false;
+            } else {
+                throw ex;
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
     /**
      * Returns the SAAJ version as a String. The returned string will be "<code>SAAJ 1.3</code>", "<code>SAAJ
      * 1.2</code>", or "<code>SAAJ 1.1</code>".
@@ -135,6 +257,10 @@ public abstract class SaajUtils {
      * @see #getSaajVersion()
      */
     public static String getSaajVersionString() {
+        return getSaajVersionString(saajVersion);
+    }
+
+    private static String getSaajVersionString(int saajVersion) {
         if (saajVersion >= SaajUtils.SAAJ_13) {
             return "SAAJ 1.3";
         }
@@ -166,7 +292,7 @@ public abstract class SaajUtils {
         }
         else if (StringUtils.hasLength(qName.getNamespaceURI())) {
             Iterator prefixes;
-            if (getSaajVersion() == SAAJ_11) {
+            if (getSaajVersion(resolveElement) == SAAJ_11) {
                 prefixes = resolveElement.getNamespacePrefixes();
             }
             else {
diff --git a/core/src/test/java/org/springframework/ws/soap/saaj/support/SaajUtilsTest.java b/core/src/test/java/org/springframework/ws/soap/saaj/support/SaajUtilsTest.java
index 3ccc0642..5c119ea6 100644
--- a/core/src/test/java/org/springframework/ws/soap/saaj/support/SaajUtilsTest.java
+++ b/core/src/test/java/org/springframework/ws/soap/saaj/support/SaajUtilsTest.java
@@ -25,9 +25,10 @@ import javax.xml.soap.SOAPEnvelope;
 import javax.xml.soap.SOAPMessage;
 
 import org.custommonkey.xmlunit.XMLTestCase;
+import org.w3c.dom.Document;
+
 import org.springframework.core.io.ClassPathResource;
 import org.springframework.util.StringUtils;
-import org.w3c.dom.Document;
 
 public class SaajUtilsTest extends XMLTestCase {
 
@@ -114,4 +115,5 @@ public class SaajUtilsTest extends XMLTestCase {
     public void testGetSaajVersion() throws Exception {
         assertEquals("Invalid SAAJ version", SaajUtils.SAAJ_13, SaajUtils.getSaajVersion());
     }
+
 }
\ No newline at end of file