Rav,
My guess is that at some time every engineer has been pressurised into signing a release. whether it has gone over to a b
king for refusing is another question. However it is their job to pressure us, they want the a/c serviceable, and it is our job to say NO if we feel it is not safe.
The only other thing I would add is that there were some things that I may not have signed in my early licenced days that now with the benefit of experience I would be happy to sign. Just as there are some things I may have signed in my early days that bring me out in a cold sweat!
Where some doubt exists consult with a colleague, another opinion always helps.
But at the end of the day, it's your licence so if you don't like it don't sign. As I once said to my boss 'If I sign that and it goes in, I'll loose my job and my licence. If I don't sign it all you can do is take my job, and I'll always get another one!'