Toyota Repair: 1996 Camry 2.1 Water leak., radiator cap, mechanical noise

Question
I recently arrived at work and parked my car and heard a mechanical noise which was not too disturbing, but still a noise.
I arrived home that evening and parked and heard the same noise before I turned off the engine and noticed steam coming from the bonnet on the right side. I got out of the car and noticed what seemed like water leaking from the right front side. I had the car towed-in and was told that the car had over-heated and that the gasket had blown and that the cylinder head needed skimming, all as a result of a poor radiator cap. Is this possible? Many thanks.

Answer
Possible but not very likely, in most cases if there is a leak at the front of the engine it's the water pump that's leaking, have them check to make sure the water pump is not the cause, if sounds to me they are tring to justify a repair that it may not need.