diff --git a/lib/dao.js b/lib/dao.js
index 224e6cdf..279b05ae 100644
--- a/lib/dao.js
+++ b/lib/dao.js
@@ -10,7 +10,6 @@ var util = require('util');
 var jutil = require('./jutil');
 var validations = require('./validations.js');
 var ValidationError = validations.ValidationError;
-var List = require('./list.js');
 require('./relations.js');
 var Inclusion = require('./include.js');
 var Relation = require('./relations.js');
@@ -351,6 +350,83 @@ DataAccessObject.all = function () {
   DataAccessObject.find.apply(this, arguments);
 };
 
+var operators = {
+    gt: '>',
+    gte: '>=',
+    lt: '<',
+    lte: '<=',
+    between: 'BETWEEN',
+    inq: 'IN',
+    nin: 'NOT IN',
+    neq: '!=',
+    like: 'LIKE',
+    nlike: 'NOT LIKE'
+};
+
+DataAccessObject._coerce = function (where) {
+    if (!where) {
+        return where;
+    }
+
+    var props = this.getDataSource().getModelDefinition(this.modelName).properties;
+    for (var p in where) {
+        var DataType = props[p] && props[p].type;
+        if (!DataType) {
+            continue;
+        }
+        if (Array.isArray(DataType) || DataType === Array) {
+            DataType = DataType[0];
+        }
+        if (DataType === Date) {
+            var OrigDate = Date;
+            DataType = function Date(arg) {
+                return new OrigDate(arg);
+            };
+        } else if (DataType === Boolean) {
+          DataType = function(val) {
+            if(val === 'true') {
+              return true;
+            } else if(val === 'false') {
+              return false;
+            } else {
+              return Boolean(val);
+            }
+          };
+        }
+        if (!DataType) {
+          continue;
+        }
+        var val = where[p];
+        // Check there is an operator
+        var operator = null;
+        if ('object' === typeof val && Object.keys(val).length === 1) {
+            for (var op in operators) {
+                if (op in val) {
+                    val = val[op];
+                    operator = op;
+                    break;
+                }
+            }
+        }
+        // Coerce the array items
+        if (Array.isArray(val)) {
+            for (var i = 0; i < val.length; i++) {
+                val[i] = DataType(val[i]);
+            }
+        } else {
+            val = DataType(val);
+        }
+        // Rebuild {property: {operator: value}}
+        if (operator) {
+            var value = {};
+            value[operator] = val;
+            val = value;
+        }
+        where[p] = val;
+    }
+    return where;
+};
+
 /**
  * Find all instances of Model, matched by query
  * make sure you have marked as `index: true` fields for filter or sort
@@ -389,6 +465,9 @@ DataAccessObject.find = function find(params, cb) {
     }
 
     params = removeUndefined(params);
+    if(params.where) {
+        params.where = this._coerce(params.where);
+    }
     if(near) {
       if(supportsGeo) {
         // convert it
@@ -511,6 +590,7 @@ DataAccessObject.destroyAll = function destroyAll(where, cb) {
     } else {
         // Support an optional where object
         where = removeUndefined(where);
+        where = this._coerce(where);
         this.getDataSource().connector.destroyAll(this.modelName, where, function (err, data) {
             cb && cb(err, data);
         }.bind(this));
@@ -556,6 +636,7 @@ DataAccessObject.count = function (where, cb) {
         where = null;
     }
     where = removeUndefined(where);
+    where = this._coerce(where);
     this.getDataSource().connector.count(this.modelName, cb, where);
 };
 
diff --git a/lib/model-builder.js b/lib/model-builder.js
index b152bbf6..89cd6793 100644
--- a/lib/model-builder.js
+++ b/lib/model-builder.js
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@ var assert = require('assert');
 var DefaultModelBaseClass = require('./model.js');
 var List = require('./list.js');
 var ModelDefinition = require('./model-definition.js');
+var mergeSettings = require('./utils').mergeSettings;
 
 // Set up types
 require('./types')(ModelBuilder);
@@ -283,11 +284,15 @@ ModelBuilder.prototype.define = function defineClass(className, properties, sett
         });
 
         // Merge the settings
+        subclassSettings = mergeSettings(settings, subclassSettings);
+
+        /*
         Object.keys(settings).forEach(function (key) {
           if(subclassSettings[key] === undefined) {
             subclassSettings[key] = settings[key];
           }
         });
+        */
 
         // Define the subclass
         var subClass = modelBuilder.define(className, subclassProperties, subclassSettings, ModelClass);
diff --git a/lib/utils.js b/lib/utils.js
index 56a24334..2dd6da47 100644
--- a/lib/utils.js
+++ b/lib/utils.js
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ exports.fieldsToArray = fieldsToArray;
 exports.selectFields = selectFields;
 exports.removeUndefined = removeUndefined;
 exports.parseSettings = parseSettings;
+exports.mergeSettings = mergeSettings;
 
 var traverse = require('traverse');
 
@@ -127,3 +128,53 @@ function parseSettings(urlStr) {
     }
     return settings;
 }
+
+/**
+ * Merge model settings
+ *
+ * Folked from https://github.com/nrf110/deepmerge/blob/master/index.js
+ *
+ * The original function tries to merge array items if they are objects
+ *
+ * @param {Object} target The target settings object
+ * @param {Object} src The source settings object
+ * @returns {Object} The merged settings object
+ */
+function mergeSettings(target, src) {
+  var array = Array.isArray(src);
+  var dst = array && [] || {};
+
+  if (array) {
+    target = target || [];
+    dst = dst.concat(target);
+    src.forEach(function (e, i) {
+      if (typeof target[i] === 'undefined') {
+        dst[i] = e;
+      } else {
+        if (target.indexOf(e) === -1) {
+          dst.push(e);
+        }
+      }
+    });
+  } else {
+    if (target && typeof target === 'object') {
+      Object.keys(target).forEach(function (key) {
+        dst[key] = target[key];
+      });
+    }
+    Object.keys(src).forEach(function (key) {
+      if (typeof src[key] !== 'object' || !src[key]) {
+        dst[key] = src[key];
+      }
+      else {
+        if (!target[key]) {
+          dst[key] = src[key]
+        } else {
+          dst[key] = mergeSettings(target[key], src[key])
+        }
+      }
+    });
+  }
+
+  return dst;
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 34712bfc..e276cb1e 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "loopback-datasource-juggler",
-  "version": "1.2.6",
+  "version": "1.2.7",
   "description": "LoopBack DataSoure Juggler",
   "keywords": [
     "StrongLoop",
diff --git a/test/loopback-dl.test.js b/test/loopback-dl.test.js
index 75c0115e..a000e8de 100644
--- a/test/loopback-dl.test.js
+++ b/test/loopback-dl.test.js
@@ -572,6 +572,83 @@ describe('Load models with relations', function () {
 
 });
 
+describe('DataAccessObject', function () {
+  var ds, model, where;
+
+  before(function () {
+    ds = new DataSource('memory');
+    model = ds.createModel('M1', {
+      id: {type: String, id: true},
+      age: Number,
+      vip: Boolean,
+      date: Date,
+      scores: [Number]
+    });
+  });
+
+  it('should be able to coerce where clause for string types', function () {
+    where = model._coerce({id: 1});
+    assert.deepEqual(where, {id: '1'});
+    where = model._coerce({id: '1'});
+    assert.deepEqual(where, {id: '1'});
+  });
+
+  it('should be able to coerce where clause for number types', function () {
+    where = model._coerce({age: '10'});
+    assert.deepEqual(where, {age: 10});
+
+    where = model._coerce({age: 10});
+    assert.deepEqual(where, {age: 10});
+
+    where = model._coerce({age: {gt: 10}});
+    assert.deepEqual(where, {age: {gt: 10}});
+
+    where = model._coerce({age: {gt: '10'}});
+    assert.deepEqual(where, {age: {gt: 10}});
+
+    where = model._coerce({age: {between: ['10', '20']}});
+    assert.deepEqual(where, {age: {between: [10, 20]}});
+  });
+
+  it('should be able to coerce where clause for array types', function () {
+    where = model._coerce({scores: ['10', '20']});
+    assert.deepEqual(where, {scores: [10, 20]});
+  });
+
+  it('should be able to coerce where clause for date types', function () {
+    var d = new Date();
+    where = model._coerce({date: d});
+    assert.deepEqual(where, {date: d});
+
+    where = model._coerce({date: d.toISOString()});
+    assert.deepEqual(where, {date: d});
+  });
+
+  it('should be able to coerce where clause for boolean types', function () {
+    where = model._coerce({vip: 'true'});
+    assert.deepEqual(where, {vip: true});
+
+    where = model._coerce({vip: true});
+    assert.deepEqual(where, {vip: true});
+
+    where = model._coerce({vip: 'false'});
+    assert.deepEqual(where, {vip: false});
+
+    where = model._coerce({vip: false});
+    assert.deepEqual(where, {vip: false});
+
+    where = model._coerce({vip: '1'});
+    assert.deepEqual(where, {vip: true});
+
+    where = model._coerce({vip: 0});
+    assert.deepEqual(where, {vip: false});
+
+    where = model._coerce({vip: ''});
+    assert.deepEqual(where, {vip: false});
+
+  });
+});
+
 describe('Load models from json', function () {
     it('should be able to define models from json', function () {
         var path = require('path'),
@@ -649,6 +726,96 @@ describe('Load models from json', function () {
 
         done(null, customer);
     });
+
+  it('should be able to extend models with merged settings', function (done) {
+    var modelBuilder = new ModelBuilder();
+
+    var User = modelBuilder.define('User', {
+      name: String
+    }, {
+      defaultPermission: 'ALLOW',
+      acls: [
+        {
+          principalType: 'ROLE',
+          principalId: '$everyone',
+          permission: 'ALLOW'
+        }
+      ],
+      relations: {
+        posts: {
+          type: 'hasMany',
+          model:'Post'
+        }
+      }
+    });
+
+      var Customer = User.extend('Customer',
+        {customerId: {type: String, id: true}},
+        {
+          defaultPermission: 'DENY',
+          acls: [
+            {
+              principalType: 'ROLE',
+              principalId: '$unauthenticated',
+              permission: 'DENY'
+            }
+          ],
+          relations: {
+            orders: {
+              type: 'hasMany',
+              model:'Order'
+            }
+          }
+        }
+      );
+
+      assert.deepEqual(User.settings, {
+        defaultPermission: 'ALLOW',
+        acls: [
+          {
+            principalType: 'ROLE',
+            principalId: '$everyone',
+            permission: 'ALLOW'
+          }
+        ],
+        relations: {
+          posts: {
+            type: 'hasMany',
+            model:'Post'
+          }
+        },
+        strict: false
+      });
+
+      assert.deepEqual(Customer.settings, {
+        defaultPermission: 'DENY',
+        acls: [
+          {
+            principalType: 'ROLE',
+            principalId: '$everyone',
+            permission: 'ALLOW'
+          },
+          {
+            principalType: 'ROLE',
+            principalId: '$unauthenticated',
+            permission: 'DENY'
+          }
+        ],
+        relations: {
+          posts: {
+            type: 'hasMany',
+            model:'Post'
+          },
+          orders: {
+            type: 'hasMany',
+            model:'Order'
+          }
+        },
+        strict: false
+      });
+
+      done();
+    });
 });
 
 describe('DataSource constructor', function(){