diff --git a/src/Orchard.Web/Modules/Orchard.Autoroute/Drivers/AutoroutePartDriver.cs b/src/Orchard.Web/Modules/Orchard.Autoroute/Drivers/AutoroutePartDriver.cs
index 647dd7ca2..ef7adcd15 100644
--- a/src/Orchard.Web/Modules/Orchard.Autoroute/Drivers/AutoroutePartDriver.cs
+++ b/src/Orchard.Web/Modules/Orchard.Autoroute/Drivers/AutoroutePartDriver.cs
@@ -94,10 +94,10 @@ namespace Orchard.Autoroute.Drivers {
 
             // if the content type has no defaultPattern for autoroute, then use a default one
             if (!settings.DefaultPatterns.Any(x => String.Equals(x.Culture, itemCulture, StringComparison.OrdinalIgnoreCase))) {
-                //if we are in the default culture check the old setting
+                // If we are in the default culture, check the old setting.
                 if (String.Equals(itemCulture, _cultureManager.GetSiteCulture(), StringComparison.OrdinalIgnoreCase)) {
-                    if (!String.IsNullOrEmpty(part.TypePartDefinition.Settings["AutorouteSettings.DefaultPatternIndex"])) {
-                        string patternIndex = part.TypePartDefinition.Settings["AutorouteSettings.DefaultPatternIndex"];
+                    if (!String.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(settings.DefaultPatternIndex)) {
+                        var patternIndex = settings.DefaultPatternIndex;
                         settings.DefaultPatterns.Add(new DefaultPattern { PatternIndex = patternIndex, Culture = itemCulture });
                     } else {
                         settings.DefaultPatterns.Add(new DefaultPattern { PatternIndex = "0", Culture = itemCulture });
diff --git a/src/Orchard.Web/Modules/Orchard.Autoroute/Services/AutorouteService.cs b/src/Orchard.Web/Modules/Orchard.Autoroute/Services/AutorouteService.cs
index 13c102dbe..df0f07afc 100644
--- a/src/Orchard.Web/Modules/Orchard.Autoroute/Services/AutorouteService.cs
+++ b/src/Orchard.Web/Modules/Orchard.Autoroute/Services/AutorouteService.cs
@@ -67,7 +67,8 @@ namespace Orchard.Autoroute.Services {
             }
 
             if (settings.UseCulturePattern) {
-                //if we are creating from a form post we use the form value for culture
+                // TODO: Refactor the below so that we don't need to know about Request.Form["Localization.SelectedCulture"].
+                // If we are creating from a form post we use the form value for culture.
                 HttpContextBase context = _httpContextAccessor.Current();
                 if (!String.IsNullOrEmpty(context.Request.Form["Localization.SelectedCulture"])) {
                     itemCulture = context.Request.Form["Localization.SelectedCulture"].ToString();
@@ -140,9 +141,8 @@ namespace Orchard.Autoroute.Services {
             var settings = GetTypePartSettings(contentType).GetModel<AutorouteSettings>();
 
             if (!settings.DefaultPatterns.Any(x => String.Equals(x.Culture, culture, StringComparison.OrdinalIgnoreCase))) {
-                ContentTypeDefinition definition = _contentDefinitionManager.GetTypeDefinition(contentType);
-                var patternIndex = definition.Parts.Where(x => x.PartDefinition.Name == "AutoroutePart").FirstOrDefault().Settings["AutorouteSettings.DefaultPatternIndex"];
-                //lazy updating from old setting
+                var patternIndex = settings.DefaultPatternIndex;
+                // Lazy updating from old setting.
                 if (String.Equals(culture, _cultureManager.GetSiteCulture(), StringComparison.OrdinalIgnoreCase) && !String.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(patternIndex)) {
                     settings.DefaultPatterns.Add(new DefaultPattern { PatternIndex = patternIndex, Culture = culture });
                     return settings.Patterns.Where(x => x.Culture == null).ElementAt(Convert.ToInt32(settings.DefaultPatterns.Where(x => x.Culture == culture).FirstOrDefault().PatternIndex));
diff --git a/src/Orchard.Web/Modules/Orchard.Autoroute/Settings/AutorouteSettings.cs b/src/Orchard.Web/Modules/Orchard.Autoroute/Settings/AutorouteSettings.cs
index b3263425e..4fa5578a3 100644
--- a/src/Orchard.Web/Modules/Orchard.Autoroute/Settings/AutorouteSettings.cs
+++ b/src/Orchard.Web/Modules/Orchard.Autoroute/Settings/AutorouteSettings.cs
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@ namespace Orchard.Autoroute.Settings {
             AutomaticAdjustmentOnEdit = false;
             PatternDefinitions = "[]";
             DefaultPatternDefinitions = "[]";
+            DefaultPatternIndex = null;
         }
 
         public bool PerItemConfiguration { get; set; }
@@ -31,6 +32,7 @@ namespace Orchard.Autoroute.Settings {
         public bool? IsDefault { get; set; }
         public List<string> SiteCultures { get; set; }
         public string DefaultSiteCulture { get; set; }
+        public string DefaultPatternIndex { get; set; }
 
         /// <summary>
         /// A serialized Json array of <see cref="RoutePattern"/> objects
@@ -102,6 +104,7 @@ namespace Orchard.Autoroute.Settings {
             builder.WithSetting("AutorouteSettings.AutomaticAdjustmentOnEdit", AutomaticAdjustmentOnEdit.ToString(CultureInfo.InvariantCulture));
             builder.WithSetting("AutorouteSettings.PatternDefinitions", PatternDefinitions);
             builder.WithSetting("AutorouteSettings.DefaultPatternDefinitions", DefaultPatternDefinitions);
+            builder.WithSetting("AutorouteSettings.DefaultPatternIndex", DefaultPatternIndex);
         }
     }
 }
diff --git a/src/Orchard.Web/Modules/Orchard.Autoroute/Settings/AutorouteSettingsEvents.cs b/src/Orchard.Web/Modules/Orchard.Autoroute/Settings/AutorouteSettingsEvents.cs
index 609cf7b09..70db8b820 100644
--- a/src/Orchard.Web/Modules/Orchard.Autoroute/Settings/AutorouteSettingsEvents.cs
+++ b/src/Orchard.Web/Modules/Orchard.Autoroute/Settings/AutorouteSettingsEvents.cs
@@ -70,8 +70,9 @@ namespace Orchard.Autoroute.Settings {
                 if (!settings.DefaultPatterns.Any(x => String.Equals(x.Culture, culture, StringComparison.OrdinalIgnoreCase))) {
                     //if we are in the default culture check the old setting
                     if (String.Equals(culture, _cultureManager.GetSiteCulture(), StringComparison.OrdinalIgnoreCase)) {
-                        if (!String.IsNullOrEmpty(definition.Settings["AutorouteSettings.DefaultPatternIndex"])) {
-                            string patternIndex = definition.Settings["AutorouteSettings.DefaultPatternIndex"];
+                        var defaultPatternIndex = settings.DefaultPatternIndex;
+                        if (!String.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(defaultPatternIndex)) {
+                            var patternIndex = defaultPatternIndex;
                             settings.DefaultPatterns.Add(new DefaultPattern { Culture = settings.DefaultSiteCulture, PatternIndex = patternIndex });
                         } else {
                             settings.DefaultPatterns.Add(new DefaultPattern { PatternIndex = "0", Culture = culture });