A system and method for improving the durability and reliability of recording media used in hard drives is disclosed. A protective overcoat made by depositing a diamond like carbon (DLC) layer over a magnetic layer and then depleting a portion of the DLC protective layer of hydrogen before it is coated with a Perfluoropolyethers (PFPE) using an in-situ vapor lubrication technique. The portion of the DLC layer which is depleted can be data zone of the media so that the lubricant-bonding ratio is higher for the landing zone than it is for the data zone.